


Dogsbody

by rusty_armour



Series: Dogsbody [3]
Category: Primeval
Genre: Angst and Humor, Animal Transformation, Hurt/Comfort, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-07-22
Updated: 2010-07-22
Packaged: 2017-10-10 18:12:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 29,958
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/102617
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rusty_armour/pseuds/rusty_armour
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Lester is forced to depend on the people around him when he finds himself in a strange and startling predicament.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Dogsbody

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Under the Moonlight](https://archiveofourown.org/external_works/1212) by knitekat. 



> This is a sequel to "Ps &amp; Qs" and "Better Late Than Never," though this could probably be read as a stand-alone. As you'll quickly realize, this story is complete crack and unapologetically self-indulgent. I had a lot of fun writing this – probably _too_ much fun. *g*
> 
> I'd like to give a big thanks to lukadreaming for the Brit-check beta.

He hadn't originally intended to return to his flat that night. He had, in fact, been hoping to spend the evening with Danny. Then an anomaly had opened up just outside Chesterfield and they'd had to cancel their plans. Lester had stayed late at the ARC to catch up with some paperwork and be available in case the team needed him. They hadn't. In the end, Lester had headed home, alone. As he entered his flat, his only desire was to watch some news on the telly before going to bed.

That all changed when he saw Helen Cutter sitting on the settee.

She smiled as Lester's briefcase slipped from his fingers. "Hello, James."

  


  
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"You're dead." As far as witty rejoinders went, it was lacking in both originality and subtlety, but the sentence had popped out of Lester's mouth before he could stop it.

The woman leaned forward, her dark eyes glinting. "It's funny you should say that because from where I've come from, you're the one who's dead."

Lester's brow furrowed. "From where you've _come_ from?" he asked. He decided to ignore the question of his obituary for the time being.

"I'm from a parallel universe," the woman said.

She sounded calm and matter-of-fact, as if she truly believed what she was saying. Somehow, that made the situation even worse.

The woman tilted her head when her statement was met with silence. "You don't believe me."

"I believe you've got a few more screws loose, Helen," Lester said.

The woman arched an eyebrow. "Oh, now that's interesting."

"You think it's interesting that you've reached a new level of insanity?" Lester asked.

The woman shook her head. "No, it's interesting that you called me 'Helen'. My name is Anna. Anna Taylor."

Lester didn't want to believe her, to even listen to her, but he couldn't help noticing the slight differences between the woman sitting on the settee and Helen – as he last remembered seeing her. Anna was wearing a grey trouser suit and heels, an ensemble Lester had never seen on Helen before. Her hair was also longer and almost auburn in colour. Of course, Helen could have grown out her hair and dyed it since he had last seen her – and it would have been simple enough for her to change her style. However, Anna seemed different on more than just a physical level: it was something Lester could see in her eyes.

Despite his better judgment, Lester sat down on the settee. "For the sake of argument, let's say I believe your story. Let's say I believe your name is Anna Taylor and you're from some parallel universe."

"Great," Anna said. "I was sure you'd need more convincing."

Lester raised a hand. "This is purely hypothetical."

Anna pouted and fiddled with a ring on her right hand. "Then you don't believe me."

"I haven't committed myself either way." Lester sighed and ran a hand over his face. "Why come to me? What do you want?"

"Oh, James, I would have thought that would be obvious." Anna tapped on the ring and a tiny needle sprang up. Then she flicked her hand and the needle embedded itself in Lester's thigh.

Lester jumped off the settee, clutching his leg. "What the hell did you…?" His vision swam and dark spots danced before his eyes. He had no memory of hitting the floor.

  


  
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"Hello again." Anna was staring down at Lester with the same cold smile he had seen on Helen Cutter's face more times than he would have liked. Lester looked away, which is when he realized that he wasn't in his flat anymore. He appeared to be in some derelict and, no doubt, abandoned lab. He tried to sit up and discovered that he'd been strapped to a camp-bed. He wondered whether or not he should be grateful that the bitch hadn't killed him outright.

"What exactly did I do to you in this parallel universe of yours?" Lester asked.

Anna's smile disappeared. "You betrayed me, but, worse than that, you tried to have me killed."

_Now why didn't I think of that in_ this _universe?_ Lester thought. Aloud, he said, "Now why would I do that?"

Anna shrugged. "I've no idea. Up until then, our relationship had been most…satisfying."

Lester grimaced. "Relationship?"

Anna rolled her eyes. "We were business partners, James."

"Actually, I think that's probably worse," Lester said. "Sleeping with you would have been one thing, but _working_ with you…What an incredibly stupid decision on my part."

Anna glared at Lester. "I made you a lot of money, James. You should treat me with a little more respect."

Lester snorted. "Well, perhaps if you hadn't broken into my flat, drugged me, kidnapped me, and tied me down, I'd be feeling a little more charitable," he said. "Oh, and could you stop calling me by my first name? The Helen I knew always called me 'Lester'."

Anna frowned. "But I'm not the Helen you knew."

"No, the Helen I knew wasn't interested in money and preferred to work alone." Lester's eyes flicked to the bindings on his wrists. "What kind of business were we involved in? I take it that whatever it was didn't involve paleontology."

Anna's nose wrinkled. "Paleontology? No. We had our eyes set on the future, not the past." She sat down on the edge of the camp-bed, and Lester tried to hide his discomfort. "You'll probably find this difficult to swallow, James, but I discovered a way to travel to the future through a system of…Well, I suppose the best description for them would be time portals."

"You mean 'anomalies'," Lester said. "Yes, I know all about them."

Anna's eyes widened and she looked taken aback. Then she quickly recovered her composure and nodded. "Yes, 'anomalies' would be another word for them. By travelling through these anomalies to the future, I've been able to acquire technology that scientists and engineers in the present haven't even dreamed of."

_Surely, she didn't_, Lester thought. "Please tell me you didn't," he said.

"Didn't what?" Anna asked. "Sell what I found to the highest bidder?"

Lester closed his eyes and nodded. "Yes."

"Then the answer is no," Anna said. "I didn't. _You_ did."

Lester's eyes flew open. "_I_ did?" He frowned. He couldn't say that he was too impressed by this other incarnation of himself. He knew what could happen when someone tampered with time. He had experienced such interference firsthand when Leek had unleashed that future predator on him.

"We had an ideal partnership," Anna said. "We each played our roles to perfection. It was an extremely lucrative business."

"What happened?" Lester asked.

Anna scowled. "Christine Johnson happened."

_Of course_, Lester thought. _Christine Johnson would plague me in more than one universe_.

Anna must have seen the look of disgust on Lester's face because she said, "You didn't seem to have a problem with her at the time. You practically welcomed her with open arms." Anna rose from the camp-bed, which made Lester more nervous than relieved. "She offered to take a smaller cut if you accepted her as your partner – your _sole_ partner. Of course, you couldn't do that until I was out of the picture – a service Christine was only too happy to provide." Anna's eyes narrowed and she crossed her arms. "She's imaginative – I'll give her that – but she's sloppy, James. She left me for dead when I wasn't. She apparently learned her lesson by the time she decided to turn on you because you _stayed_ dead." Anna bared her teeth in an almost feral grin. "I made sure of that: I checked the body."

_Lovely_, Lester thought. "If I'm dead in your universe then why are you here?" he asked. "Why come after me? Why not go after Christine?"

"I did," Anna said. "It wasn't enough." She ran a well-manicured fingernail across Lester's cheek. "I was robbed of what should have been mine: revenge against you."

Lester felt a chill go down his spine. "I'm not him. You know that."

Anna favoured Lester with that cold smile again. "Yes, but you're the closest thing I've got."

"You're mad, Helen…Anna – whoever the hell you are," Lester said. "You're completely barking."

Anna laughed. "It's ironic you should mention barking, James." She walked away from the camp-bed, and Lester craned his neck to follow her movements, not wanting to take his eyes off her if at all possible. He saw her approach a cart covered by a white cloth. Then she was wheeling the cart over and parking it beside the camp-bed.

There was a large lump under the cloth, and Lester wondered what kind of horrific torture implements Anna had procured from the future. When Anna whipped off the cloth, Lester stared at the cart in surprise. "It's a dog," he said.

Anna nodded. "Very good. It's a German shepherd, to be exact."

"Is it dead?" Lester asked. The dog was lying motionless on its side, and Lester couldn't tell if it was breathing.

Anna tutted at Lester. "Now, James, what possible use would a dead dog be to either of us? No, our furry friend has merely been sedated." She stroked the dog's head, ruffling black and tan fur. "I didn't want the poor thing to suffer during the procedure."

Lester fought a wave of panic. "Procedure?"

Anna's teeth flashed. "Oh, you'll like this," she said. "I tracked down a group of scientists that have discovered a way to transfer a human consciousness to an animal's brain."

Lester's brow furrowed. "But why would anyone do that? What would it accomplish?"

Anna shook her head. "Oh, James. You have no imagination. Have you never wondered what it would be like to, say, fly like a bird?"

"No," Lester said. "You see, there's this wonderful invention called an airplane. In fact, if you close your eyes and flap your arms–"

"It's not the same," Anna snapped, "but you'll learn that soon enough." She moved out of Lester's line of sight again, and Lester tried to keep a firm grip on his fear. However, he couldn't help jerking when Anna smeared gel on his temples. He tried to twist away when Anna began attaching a pair of electrodes to his skull, but Anna grabbed a fistful of hair and wouldn't let go until the electrodes were in place. Then Anna was sticking electrodes on the dog, and Lester found it was a struggle to hide his anxiety.

"Wouldn't it just be easier to kill me?" Lester asked.

"Easier, yes, but not nearly as much fun." Anna studied Lester thoughtfully, pursing her lips. "You'd rather die than have your consciousness transferred to an animal's brain." She laughed. "You should be flattered that I chose you to be the first subject in this groundbreaking experiment."

"First subject?" Lester couldn't quite keep the squeak out of his voice.

"Oh, didn't I tell you?" Anna said. "This will be the first practical application with a human being. When I acquired the technology, the scientists were still testing it on rats and bunnies."

Lester started struggling furiously. "You deranged homicidal bitch!"

"Now, James, if I were homicidal, I would have just killed you. Please take more care when throwing those big adjectives around." Anna laid a hand on Lester's chest, gazing down at him in amusement. Lester drew as much saliva from his mouth as he could and spit on her. Anna wiped her face calmly, never breaking her sphinx-like stare. "Just relax. This shouldn't hurt or, at least, I don't think it will." Anna walked over to the large machine that Lester had been eyeing with growing trepidation. "I realize I'm probably not the first person to say this to you, James, but just lie back and think of England."

  


  
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The first thing Lester was aware of was that he was lying on a hard surface, possibly the floor. For one brief instant, he thought that he might have passed out and his encounter with the parallel universe Helen had simply been a nightmare. Of course, passing out wasn't a good thing, and Lester certainly didn't feel like himself. He felt funny…different. Then, he heard the sound of a dog whimpering and his eyes flew open.

Everything had become faded. It wasn't black and white, but the colours were washed out. It was almost like looking at a tinted photograph, or, perhaps, viewing the world through a dog's eyes.

_No. Sweet Jesus, no._

Lester tried to stand. It took three attempts before it occurred to him that he would need to coordinate four legs instead of two. Walking also took some extra concentration, at first, and it was strange to see his surroundings from a much lower level, as if he were crawling through his flat on his hands and knees. There were also all these scents he had never noticed before. Following the strongest one led him to the kitchen, where he found bowls of dog food and water. Apparently, Anna didn't want him to starve or die of dehydration – not yet, anyway.

Lester sniffed the bowl of dog food cautiously. While it smelled pretty good, he couldn't bring himself to eat it. He moved to the other bowl and lapped up some water instead.

Lester's next destination was the door to his flat. Raising himself on his hind legs, he tried to turn the door knob with his front paws. When he failed to open the door, he sank back down on the ground with a growl.

_And just where would you have gone if you'd got the door open? It's not as if you can drive anywhere. Were you planning to walk to the ARC?_

No. That wasn't an option. It looked as if he would have to wait until someone came looking for him. The prospect of being found in his present state filled Lester with dread and, yet, being alone seemed worse than the humiliation he'd have to face as a dog. Of course, whoever came across him wasn't going to know who he was unless he found a way to communicate.

Lester wondered if he'd be able to write with a pen in his mouth. Given his failed efforts with the door, he didn't trust his big clumsy paws. He wished he had some of those magnetic letters the kids used to stick on the fridge. He could use them to spell a word. At the moment "HELP" sprang to mind. Then Lester barked in excitement when he remembered that he had something better than magnetic letters: he had a whole tub of alphabet blocks. Joanna had asked him to drop them off at Oxfam when Jeremy had outgrown them, but he kept forgetting. Well, if Lester was going to be entirely honest, he hadn't wanted to give them away. He had too many fond memories of Jeremy's chubby little fingers reaching out for those blocks and hurling them across the carpet.

Lester went over to the hall cupboard and was happy to encounter a door he could open. Unfortunately, some idiot had gone and put the tub of blocks on the top shelf, where he wouldn't be able to reach them, even if he stood on his hind legs. When the cavalry arrived, he was going to have to find a way to ask them to get the blocks down for him. It was then that the phone decided to ring. Without thinking, Lester ran over to it and knocked it off the receiver. That was when he realized that he had no way of talking to the person on the other end. Lester slumped down on the floor, not quite able to suppress a whimper.

He must have fallen asleep because the next thing he knew, someone was hammering on the door, calling out his name. Although, in his mind, Lester knew that this was his best chance of rescue, his new canine instincts took over. There was someone on his property, someone who didn't belong. He leapt to his feet and started barking furiously. He was still barking when the door opened, and Abby and Connor made their way into the flat. They eyed him warily, moving with slow cautious gestures. He still barked because Connor must have either made a copy of the key he'd been given when he'd stayed at the flat or he'd just broken in.

Abby smiled down at Lester reassuringly. "It's all right. We're not going to hurt you." She turned to Connor and said, "When did Lester get a dog?"

Connor shrugged. "Dunno. He's the last person I'd picture having a dog. They're far too messy."

"Maybe he's looking after it for a friend." Abby bent down on her haunches and carefully extended her hand to Lester. Lester stopped barking, eyeing Abby's hand curiously before sniffing it. Abby stroked his head, and Lester couldn't help leaning into the touch. "Good boy. Do you know where Lester is?"

_Yeah, you're looking at him_, Lester thought. Then he rushed over to the hall cupboard and started barking at it.

Connor scratched his head in confusion. "Lester's in the closet?"

Abby walked over to the cupboard and stuck her head inside. Lester raised himself up on his hind legs and gazed up at the top shelf, hoping Abby would get the message. Thankfully, she did. She stood on her tiptoes, trying to catch a glimpse of what Lester wanted to show her, but she wasn't much taller than Lester was. She turned to Connor. "You're taller than both of us. See if you can find out what the dog wants from this shelf."

"Uh, shouldn't we be looking for Lester?" Connor asked, though he made his way over to the cupboard all the same.

"German shepherds are highly intelligent animals," Abby said. "I think this one is trying to tell us something."

"Yeah, where his dog food is kept." Connor grinned and started rooting around the top shelf. "How are we going to know when we've found it?"

Lester barked and jumped up and down. Connor's hand had brushed against the tub of blocks. Connor exchanged a puzzled glance with Abby then pulled the tub down from the shelf. 

"Is this what you want?" Connor asked.

Lester barked again and nudged the container with his nose.

"Uh, okay," Connor said. He set the tub of blocks down on the floor, and Lester grasped the lid with his teeth and attempted to pry it off. Then Abby was kneeling down on the floor and helping Lester remove the lid. Once the lid was off, Lester knocked the container on its side and started sorting through the blocks. As he was still becoming accustomed to using paws instead of hands, it took him longer to arrange the blocks than he would have liked. However, he managed the task in the end and spelled out his message.

ITS ME LESTER

Abby and Connor gaped at first the blocks and then Lester. "_What_?" they exclaimed.

"No, no, no," Connor said. "That's impossible. It has to be a coincidence."

NO ITS NOT

"Oh my God," Abby gasped. "Lester…" She tried to reach out to him, but Lester backed away. He didn't like the look of pity in her eyes or the compassion in her voice. They made him want to whimper or howl.

"How did this happen?" Connor asked. "How did you end up like this?"

Lester began searching through the blocks again, locating the ones he needed.

HELEN

"But Helen's dead," Abby said.

HELEN BUT NOT HELEN

Connor's brow creased. "Huh?"

LIKE CLAUDIA BROWN

"Claudia Brown…?" Connor snapped his fingers. "She's from a parallel universe!"

YES NAME IS ANNA TAYLOR

"Okay," Abby said, "but why did she turn you into a dog?"

Lester glanced down at the blocks morosely. This could take a while.

  


  
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It took almost an hour for Lester to relate his story through the alphabet blocks. It didn't help that Abby and Connor kept interrupting with questions, or that Danny called Connor's mobile twice to find out what was going on. Abby was able to speed up the storytelling process when she suggested that Lester bark once for "yes" and twice for "no," though it made Lester feel as if he were communicating with Yvette Fielding.

Abby also suggested that Lester should be checked out by a vet, which made Lester's hackles rise and had him growling and baring his teeth.

"Okay, okay," Abby said. "We'll skip the vet, but you're going to have to let me examine you back at the ARC, Lester."

"It's just to make sure you're okay," Connor added when Lester still didn't look convinced.

Lester wasn't thrilled at the prospect, but at least he knew he could trust Abby. He barked once and, then, slowly forced himself to calm down.

Abby crouched down in front of Lester. "We'll need to get you some dog food and probably some other supplies as well."

Lester barked twice. He refused to eat dog food and he certainly didn't need any dog toys.

Abby gazed at Lester sternly. "You can't eat people food: it will make you sick. You'll need dog food." She tilted her head, studying Lester closely. "When did you last eat? Did she give you any food or water?"

Lester didn't even bother barking, just led Abby to the kitchen. Abby frowned when she saw the bowls.

"You haven't even touched the food," Abby said. "You should eat at least some of it."

Although it smelled good and was looking even more appetizing than before, Lester couldn't bring himself to eat the dog food.

Connor also glanced at the dog food, nudging the bowl with his foot. "I've heard it tastes just like chicken."

Lester glared at Connor, but it didn't have the desired effect. Instead of being intimidated, Connor gave Lester a goofy grin and patted him on the head. Lester wished he could growl, but, unfortunately, he was enjoying it too much. Then, Abby cleared her throat, and Connor yanked his hand away as if it had been burnt.

Abby pointed down at the dog food. "Eat it."

Lester sniffed at the food gingerly before opening his mouth to take a bite.

"Hey, if Lester eats that, one of us is going to have to take him for a walk, so he can, uh, do his business," Connor said.

Lester heard Abby yell, "Connor!" as he bolted from the kitchen. By the time Abby and Connor came after him, Lester was standing by the front door.

"You really should eat something," Abby said.

Lester barked twice and stared pointedly at the door.

Abby walked over to Lester, her hands shifting to her hips. "I used to be a zookeeper, Lester. It's not as if I haven't seen animal poo before."

Lester whined and started scratching at the door.

Abby sighed. "You're going to have to eat, go walkies, and poo at some point."

_Not if I can help it_, Lester thought.

Abby frowned at Lester, as if she were trying to figure out what was going through his head. "You'd better grab that bucket of building blocks," she said to Connor. "I have a feeling we're going to need it."

  


  
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Abby insisted that they stop for dog food. Lester waited in the front passenger seat of the Mini while Abby and Connor went into the pet shop. When Abby and Connor emerged ten minutes later, they weren't just carrying dog food but a large bone and a dog bed as well. Lester wondered how all of that was going to fit inside Abby's tiny car. Then he wondered if they expected him to pay for the items that weren't included on the list.

Abby smiled sweetly at Lester as she returned to the driver's seat. "Consider it a Christmas present…or a birthday present – whatever comes first."

"Christmas comes first," Connor said before Lester caught sight of him in the rear-view mirror slapping both hands over his mouth.

So, Connor _had_ hacked into the files. Lester decided that if he ever managed to return to human form, he and Connor were going to have a little chat. Perhaps Connor sensed this because he didn't say another word for the rest of the journey.

When they reached the ARC, Lester tried to head for his office, but Abby grabbed him by the scruff of the neck before he could reach the ramp.

"Check-up first," Abby said. Ignoring the growls, she spun Lester around and herded him to her lab.

As plants covered almost every available surface in the lab, Lester wondered if Abby would be conducting her examination on the floor. Then Abby was clearing space, and Connor was lifting Lester on to a table before Lester could bark in protest. Abby checked Lester's ears, nose, mouth and throat. She even ran her hands along his sides and took a look at his paws, pressing down on the pads with her fingers.

When Abby was finally satisfied with her examination, she nodded to Connor, who reached out to lift Lester off the table. That was when Danny barged into the lab.

"Why didn't you tell me you were back?" Danny said. "What took you so long?" His eyes moved around the lab as if he were looking for something. "Where's Lester? I thought you said you'd found him."

Abby and Connor exchanged a meaningful glance before their eyes fell on the German shepherd sitting on the table.

"Uh, what's with the dog?" Danny asked.

Abby bit her lip. "It's Lester."

Danny's forehead creased. "What's Lester?"

"The dog," Connor said. "The dog is Lester."

Danny crossed his arms impatiently. "No, seriously. Where is he?"

It took several minutes to explain the situation. In the end, Connor had to give Lester the alphabet blocks before Danny would believe them. Then Danny was ushering them to the meeting room and calling Sarah and Becker.

When Sarah arrived in the meeting room, she immediately began cooing over the German shepherd. Abby had to break the news to her that it was Lester, as Connor was laughing too hard. After that, Sarah sat as far away from Lester as she could, though she kept shooting furtive glances at him whenever she thought he wasn't looking. Becker took it all in his stride, as if it were perfectly natural to have a boss whose mind had been transferred into a German shepherd. As for Lester, he climbed on to the table, closest to where Abby was sitting, and glared at everyone. He might have gone and sat near his lover, but Danny still seemed pretty freaked out and was refusing to look Lester directly in the eye.

"Right," Abby said when everyone was seated. "I think it might be easiest if I filled everyone in on what Lester told us and then he can cover anything I missed." She looked at Lester. "Does that sound okay?"

Lester barked once in affirmation.

"One bark means 'yes' and two barks mean 'no'," Connor explained.

Sarah leaned forward eagerly. "How do you know that? I mean, how do you communicate with him?"

Connor tapped on the tub of alphabet blocks in front of him.

"Oh," Sarah said, "so that's what they're for."

"You mean he spells out sentences?" Becker asked. "With his paws?"

Lester sighed, though it sounded more like a whine coming from a German shepherd, and padded over to Connor, who was already prying the lid off the tub of alphabet blocks. It took a minute, but Becker got his answer.

YES YOU THICK PRAT

Danny laughed. "There's no need to be rude, boss."

YOU TRY BEING A BLOODY DOG AND SEE HW YU LIKE IT

"'Hw yu like it'?" Danny asked.

RAN OUT OF OS

Sarah stared at Lester in wonder. "This is fascinating."

NOT FROM WHERE IM SITTING

"No, I suppose not," Sarah said.

Abby cleared her throat. "I hate to interrupt, but do you think we can get on with this? The sooner we're all on the same page, the sooner we can fix this."

Lester barked.

"I'll take that as a yes," Abby said.

Lester barked again and thumped his tail for good measure.

"Right." Abby took a deep breath and told Lester's story. Lester kept his eyes on Abby as she did so – not because he didn't trust her with the details, but because he didn't want to see the inevitable smiles, titters, and other amused reactions that would come from everyone else. But, then, he heard Danny swear under his breath and was surprised by the angry expression on his face. Lester had been sure that Danny would be the first person to see the humour in the situation.

"We've got to find Helen…Anna – whatever her name is – ASAP," Danny said. "That should be our priority."

Becker nodded. "If we can track her down, we can force her to…to reverse the process."

"But if she's from a parallel universe, she could have disappeared through an anomaly, never to be seen again," Connor said.

Lester growled and Abby gave Connor a scathing look.

Connor laughed nervously. "Of course, we might be able to find her lab if it's in our world."

"It stands to reason," Danny said. "She would have needed to spend time here in order to locate Lester and watch his movements." Danny glanced at Lester. "How long do you think you were unconscious for when she drugged you?"

Lester tilted his head, considering Danny's question carefully. It had been fairly late at night when Anna had taken him, but he had been back in his flat by morning.

NOT LONG

MAYBE COUPLE HOURS

"That wouldn't have given her a lot of time," Becker said. "She probably chose somewhere close to Lester's place."

Danny rose from the table. "We should go to Lester's flat, see if we can find any clues, re-trace her steps." He met Lester's eyes. "Assuming that's okay with you, guv."

Lester gave a bark of consent and was about to jump off the table to follow Danny and Becker, but Abby placed a hand on his back and shook her head.

Lester felt his hackles rise. _I may be a dog, but I'm still your boss_.

"We don't know what kind of side effects you might have from this procedure," Abby said. "I think you should take it easy and let me monitor you – just to be on the safe side."

_Monitor me? I don't need a bloody babysitter, dog or not!_

Abby reached up and began scratching behind Lester's ears.

_Oh, hell_, Lester thought, before his tail started wagging and he found himself leaning into Abby's hand.

Danny laughed. "That's a good trick. Too bad it doesn't work when he's human." He stretched out his hand to pet Lester's head, and Lester snapped at his fingers. Danny leapt back with a yelp. "Bad dog!"

Lester bared his teeth in what he hoped was the approximation of a grin and wagged his tail again. _You don't know the half of it_.

  


  
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Lester knew he couldn't avoid it forever, but he had hoped that at least a few more hours might go by before someone – namely his secretary – pushed a bowl of dog food under his nose. Lester glared at Abby, knowing full well that she'd enlisted Lorraine's help, but Abby didn't look at all repentant. She simply crossed her arms and favoured Lester with a frosty look of her own.

Lester tried to appeal to Lorraine with what he assumed were his big brown doggy eyes, but she wasn't having any of it.

"You have to eat, sir," Lorraine said. "You won't be any help to anyone if you waste away."

_I'm no help to anyone_ now!

Lorraine crouched down, pushing the bowl of dog food closer to Lester's dog bed. "Come on. Just try a little bit. It can't hurt to try a little bit, can it?"

_Fat lot you know_, Lester thought.

Abby sighed from her stool at the table. "It's not the eating itself that's the problem. It's the part after that."

Lorraine's brow furrowed. "The part after that? Oh…"

"Yeah, 'oh'," Abby said. "I've tried explaining that I used to be a zookeeper and that I've cleaned up all kinds of poo, but that doesn't seem to make a difference."

"I see." Lorraine gazed at Lester sternly, and it was the same expression he'd seen on her face whenever he skipped lunch or she thought he was working too hard. "You're being very silly, sir. It's just poo – and it's not even your poo. Not really. You just happen to be inside the dog that's producing it."

_You're still not convincing me_.

"What if she turned her back?" Lorraine asked.

"Or I could go back afterwards and scoop up the poo." Abby jumped down from the stool and knelt beside Lorraine. "It wouldn't be any trouble. I mean, compared to cleaning up after an elephant…"

_Oh, for God's sake_. Lester stuck his muzzle in the bowl and took his first bite of dog food. Then he took a second, third and fourth bite before proceeding to wolf down the rest of the food.

"Oh, good boy!" Lorraine cried. Then, when Abby coughed, she blushed and tried again. "I meant 'good _boss_'. Good job, boss."

As Lester was still eating, he favoured Lorraine with a brief snort before lowering his head again.

"Wow," Lorraine said. "He really likes it."

"That and he's hungry. He probably didn't realize how hungry until he started eating." Abby tugged gently on one of Lester's ears. "Hey, you might want some water with that."

As Lester had just devoured the last morsel of food, he decided to heed Abby's advice. The water was cold and refreshing and it made Lester realize that he was thirsty as well. When he raised his head from the water bowl, both Abby and Lorraine were watching him expectantly.

_Very well. Let's get this over with_. Lester rose from his dog bed and stretched, before following Abby down the corridor.

  


  
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Lester was slightly horrified when Abby not only drove him home that night, but also stayed in the flat. It wasn't that long ago that he'd finally got rid of Connor and now he was stuck with Connor's girlfriend…or would-be girlfriend. Lester had lost track of what Abby's official status was.

As if reading Lester's thoughts, Abby said, "Look, someone has to take care of you. It's not as if you can feed and walk yourself, is it?"

Unfortunately, she did have a point.

"If you'd rather have someone else stay with you, that's fine with me."

Lester barked twice without hesitation. It was bad enough that he had to humiliate himself in front of Abby, without more of his staff getting in on the act. At least Abby seemed to know what she was doing and had been surprisingly sympathetic through this whole nightmare. She was also a known quantity and, if Lester was going to be entirely honest, he liked and trusted the girl.

"So, do you want me to stay?" Abby asked.

Lester barked once then made a casual effort to scratch behind one ear, but Abby was smiling down at him.

"I'm going to pour out some dry dog food and get you some fresh water," Abby said. "Then I'm going to raid your fridge."

As Abby headed for the kitchen, Lester sprawled out on his living room floor. The full enormity of his situation had started to sink in, and Lester was wondering what he was going to do if his condition became permanent. What would he tell Joanna and the kids? _How_ would he tell Joanna and the kids? It was one thing using alphabet blocks with Abby and Connor, but Jeremy had just started learning to read.

Would Joanna take him in? The kids kept saying they wanted a dog, but it would probably be a different story if that dog was their father. Lester knew he couldn't turn to Danny. Even if Danny hadn't been freaked out by what had happened, it wasn't fair to burden him with this. They hadn't been together that long – certainly not long enough for Danny to be saddled with the responsibility of being his boyfriend's caretaker.

"Is it okay if I make an omelet?" Abby was standing in front of Lester holding a box of eggs in one hand and an onion and red pepper in the other.

Lester gave a single bark and then propped his head on his front paws again. He could feel Abby's eyes linger on him for a moment before she disappeared inside the kitchen again.

Not long after that, the smell of eggs cooking wafted from the kitchen. Lester was surprised that he still found the scent appealing, but then he remembered that dogs seemed quite happy to eat anything and everything. He would have to fight the urge to beg Abby for scraps at the table. However, as it turned out, Abby didn't eat at the table.

When Abby returned to the living room with her meal, Lester braced himself, assuming that she was going to try eating on his pristine white settee, but Abby plopped down on the floor. Lester got to his feet and padded over to the tub of alphabet blocks, pushing it over to Abby with his nose. Abby set down her fork and removed the lid from the tub, dumping the blocks on the floor. As Abby lifted her fork again, Lester began arranging blocks in front of her.

WHAT ARE YOU DOING

"I hate eating alone," Abby said, "so I decided to join you." She reached into the pocket of her hoodie and pulled out a dog biscuit. "Here. Eat this. You're too skinny."

As this wasn't the first time he'd heard this accusation, Lester began shuffling blocks again.

THE WORD IS WIRY

When Abby gazed at him blankly, Lester remembered that she was referring to his dog body, not his human body. Had his canine host been starving or neglected before Anna Taylor had got her hands on him?

"Just eat your treat," Abby said, tossing the dog biscuit at Lester. To his great embarrassment, Lester snapped up the biscuit and swallowed it in two bites. Abby simply smiled and produced another dog treat.

"Can I put on the telly?" Abby asked when she'd finished her supper.

Lester barked once and watched Abby plop down on the settee with the TV remote. Abby was about ten minutes into a nature documentary when she spoke again. "Why don't you sit up here? It's more comfortable than the floor."

ILL GET FUR ON SETTEE

Abby snorted and shook her head. Then she bent over, grabbed Lester around the middle, and hauled him up beside her. Lester growled and bit down on Abby's sleeve. Abby laughed and tugged on her sleeve, but Lester didn't let go. Abby reached out with her free hand and began ruffling Lester's fur. Lester tightened his grip and the growling intensified, but Abby only laughed again.

"You'd be a lot more convincing if your tail wasn't wagging, Lester."

Lester released Abby's sleeve and glanced back at his tail in alarm. Abby took advantage of the distraction and began scratching behind Lester's ears.

_Oh, not again_, Lester thought as his tail started wagging even more.

"There," Abby said. "That's better, isn't it? It's much nicer up here than on the floor."

_Yes, I suppose_. Lester tilted his head to give Abby better access to his ears. He knew he should put up some kind of struggle, but the fight had gone out of him when Abby had started scratching behind his ears.

Lester didn't realize he had fallen asleep until there was a knock on the door and Abby sprang off the settee. Lester was expecting it to be Connor, so he was surprised when it turned out to be Danny. Danny lingered in the front hall for a couple of minutes with Abby, no doubt hoping to have a private conversation with her but forgetting that dogs possessed superior hearing to humans.

"I'm going to stay here tonight," Danny whispered. "I'm not leaving you two alone with that Helen-Anna woman on the loose."

"Normally, I'd be insulted, but I'll let it slide this time for Lester's sake," Abby said, also keeping her voice pitched low.

"How's he doing?" Danny asked.

"I don't know. I have a hard enough time working out what he's feeling when he's human." Abby sighed. "He seemed almost…depressed earlier."

"I can't say I blame him," Danny said. "If it were me, I'd be freaking out."

_Newsflash, sweetheart: you already are_.

Abby giggled. "He's not the only one who's been freaking out."

"Meaning what?" Danny asked.

"I think you know," Abby said. She walked back into the living room, and Lester closed his eyes, feigning sleep. Abby laid a hand on Lester's head. "You have a visitor."

Lester opened his eyes and stretched, as if he were just waking.

Danny smiled, but he couldn't quite hide the concern in his eyes. "Hey, boss. Doing okay?"

Lester gave a single bark and sat up. Then he waited, watching Danny.

Danny took a deep breath. "We haven't been able to find any leads on this Anna Taylor – yet. Like Helen Cutter, she seems to have the ability to move through worlds without leaving a trace."

Lester slumped back down on his side, failing to contain a tiny whimper as he did so.

"Look, we'll get her, Lester," Danny said. "I've got every available person on it. Just…give us a bit more time."

_I don't have time. My body is probably dying, if it isn't dead already. Even if we do manage to track down Anna before it dies, it's extremely unlikely that –_

"Lester, look at me." Danny had crouched down in front of Lester. Lester rolled his eyes up to Danny and was surprised when Danny grasped him by the chin. "I'll get her. I promise."

Danny released Lester's chin, though he remained down on his haunches. Before Lester was aware of what he was doing, he began licking Danny's hand. Danny's eyes widened and he jumped to his feet, clearing his throat.

"Uh, I know you've already got enough to think about right now," Danny said, "but the weekend's coming up, so you might want to consider what you're going to do about Joanna and the kids in case you're…you're not yourself by tomorrow night."

_Yes, Danny. Believe it or not, the subject has crossed my mind_.

"You could get Lorraine to phone your family," Abby said. "She could say that an emergency meeting came up or-or some last-minute conference." She nodded to herself. "Yeah, a conference would be better. Then, if circumstances, uh, change, you could say the conference ended early."

Amazingly enough, that actually sounded reasonable. While Lester usually phoned Joanna himself if he couldn't make it, it wouldn't be inconceivable for Lorraine to make the call if he were tied up with something.

Mistaking Lester's silence for uncertainty, Abby said, "Sleep on it – after you've eaten your supper and I've taken you for a walk."

Lester laid his head back down on his front paws. _Yes, Mum_.

  


  
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Although Lester was sure that he'd stopped at practically every tree and lamppost during his walk, while Abby dutifully turned her back, nature still called to him in the middle of the night. 

Lester dismissed the idea of waking Abby. The poor girl was doing enough for him during the day, without having her sleep disturbed as well. However, Lester had no such qualms about disturbing Danny because he was still pissed off at him. He began to scratch under the door to the spare room in much the same way Sid and Nancy had sometimes scratched under his own door during their habitation under his roof. When the door to the spare room didn't immediately swing open, Lester added some thumps and whining for good measure. Then the door opened and Danny appeared in his t-shirt and boxers, looking bleary-eyed and rumpled. He stared down at Lester in confusion.

"What is it, Lassie?" Danny asked. "Has some kid fallen down a well?"

Lester let loose a growl then trotted briskly to the front door, pressing his nose right up against it.

Danny groaned and rubbed his eyes sleepily. "Oh, come on. It's 3:00 in the morning, James. You should be sleeping, not going for a walk."

_What do I see in you again?_ Lester returned to Danny and stood in front of him for a moment before lifting his hind leg.

"Okay, okay, okay!" Danny said. "We'll go walkies! Just let me put my trousers on."

The walk took less than five minutes. When they returned, Lester assumed that Danny would stagger back to bed, but Danny flopped down on the settee instead. Lester glared at him then lay down on the floor.

Danny rolled his eyes. "Oh, so you'll sit beside Abby, but not me."

_Only because you weren't clever enough to grab me_.

"Look, I know you're angry with me," Danny said, "but can't we talk about this?"

Lester growled. _Oh, very amusing, Quinn_.

Danny winced. "Sorry, sorry. I meant…" He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. Then he moved from the settee to the floor. Lester tensed and watched warily as Danny inched towards him. "What did Abby do to calm you down?" Danny reached out and began stroking Lester's head. Lester wanted to ignore the attention, but he found he was pushing his head into Danny's hand.

_Well, I suppose it's adequate, but if you really want to make me happy you should scratch behind my ears._

"There, that's better, isn't it?" Danny said.

_Better, yes, but hardly sufficient_.

Danny was laughing. "Your tail's wagging. You really like it."

_Scratch behind my ears, you bastard!_

"You should try scratching behind his ears, Danny. He loves that."

Both Lester and Danny jerked, their heads turning towards Abby. Abby was standing on the threshold of the living room in a Cambridge University t-shirt she had borrowed from Lester. 

Danny's eyes darted nervously from Abby to Lester and then back to Abby again. "Uh, this isn't what it looks like. He woke me up because he needed to pee, and then I tried to talk to him, but it wasn't working because he's a dog and – "

"Danny, just scratch behind his ears," Abby said.

Danny hesitated for an instant then did as Abby instructed. "Oh, wow. He does love it."

_Shut up_, Lester thought as he closed his eyes in bliss.

"Now, repeat after me," Abby said. "I'm sorry I was such an arse. Please forgive me."

"Abby…"

"Do it."

Danny grimaced then forced a smile. "I'm sorry I was such an arse. Please forgive me." He scratched a little lower, and Lester rolled on to his back.

_Yes. Right there._

"So, do you think he's forgiven me?" Danny asked.

"No," Abby said. "I think he wants you to rub his belly, but I'm sure he'll come around." She winked at Lester as Danny's hand migrated down to Lester's chest.

_Oh, Abby, you are_ so _getting a pay raise_.

Abby was biting her lip, as if trying not to laugh. "Right. I'm going back to bed. I'll see you two in the morning."

  


  
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Although they had only been in the ARC for about an hour, Lester knew it was going to be a long day.

He couldn't work. He couldn't even walk around the ARC – not unaccompanied. Confined to Abby's lab, he was bored, restless and frustrated.

Lester sprang out of his dog bed and performed another circuit of the room. Then he walked over to Abby and stared up at her. Unfortunately, Abby was peering through a microscope and didn't seem to notice him. He stared some more, but Abby still wouldn't look up from the microscope. Out of sheer desperation, Lester whined and poked Abby's leg with his paw.

Abby glanced down at Lester. "Connor was right. We should have picked up some dog toys."

This time, Lester applied his teeth to Abby's leg and nipped it.

"Hey!" Abby said. "That was uncalled for!"

_So was your remark about the dog toys_. Lester skulked back to his bed, ignoring the bone once again and closing his eyes. He was just considering the merits of killing a couple of hours by taking a nap, when he heard the sound of Abby's stool scraping across the floor.

"All right, you big baby, let's go," Abby said. "Maybe if you get some exercise, you'll burn off that excess energy."

Lester jumped up and headed straight for the door. _Oh, good. A walk. Yes, a walk._

Thankfully, not everything at the ARC was concrete, metal or glass. The grounds of the ARC, limited as they were, had lots of grass and even trees. The grounds had seemed pretty mundane when Lester was human, but as a dog he found them fascinating. On yesterday's walk, there had been so many different sights and smells. And squirrels. He liked squirrels _a lot_.

Lester brushed past Abby and sped towards the nearest exit.

"You're supposed to run outdoors, not indoors!" Abby said, once she'd managed to catch up with Lester.

_But squirrels. They're out there_. Lester gazed up at Abby sweetly and wagged his tail.

Abby snorted. "Does looking cute and doggy-eyed get you ahead in Whitehall?" she asked.

_Surprisingly, no_. Lester started pawing at the door.

"Yeah, okay. Out you go." Abby shoved open the door, and Lester sprinted across the car park. "Watch for cars!" Abby shouted as she trailed after Lester.

Lester had just reached the grass, when his ears pricked up. He could hear noise off to his left. It sounded like voices. Lester followed the voices and quickly discovered that it was a group of Becker's men. They were gathered in what roughly resembled a circle and were tossing a frisbee. When Lester was about 15 metres away, the frisbee flew past the person who was supposed to catch it and soared towards him.

Without realizing what he was doing, Lester launched himself into the air and caught the frisbee with his teeth. Not sure what to do next, Lester stood with the frisbee in his mouth, completely dumbfounded. Then Abby was running up to him, laughing.

"Well, give it back," Abby said.

_Oh, right_. Lester headed over to the group of soldiers, who were already making their way towards him.

"Great catch." A corporal, whose name Lester couldn't remember, took the frisbee from him. "Is this your dog?" he asked Abby.

Abby shook her head. "No, I'm just looking after him…sort of."

The corporal crouched down to pet Lester's head. "What's his name?"

Abby hesitated a moment then said, "It's Lester."

The corporal stared at Abby. "You're kidding."

Abby sighed. "It's an in-joke."

The corporal grinned. "I won't tell if you won't."

Abby studied the frisbee in the corporal's hands. "So, is this some kind of training exercise?"

The corporal blushed. "Uh, not exactly." He glanced over his shoulder almost nervously. "Don't tell Lester – human Lester, that is."

Abby smiled and ruffled Lester's fur. "I won't tell if you won't."

"Hey, Davies, flirt on your own time," one of the soldiers said.

_Oh, because you're being paid to throw a frisbee_, Lester thought. Nevertheless, he yanked the frisbee from Davies' hands and delivered it to the other soldier.

The soldier leaned down to pet Lester as he accepted the frisbee. "Good boy! You still want to play, don't you?"

_Well, unless you've got a beautiful Irish Setter hidden away somewhere, frisbee is probably the best offer I'm likely to receive_.

The solider backed up a few metres, raising the frisbee.

Lester twitched in excitement, his tail wagging.

"Fetch!" the soldier cried, throwing the frisbee.

  


  
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When the alert had sounded, Lester knew he shouldn't have been surprised. As there had been no new anomalies in over a week, it was only a matter of time before one cropped up somewhere. All the same, the alert _had_ taken him by surprise. He had been so preoccupied with his own dilemma that he'd almost forgotten that anomalies existed.

Jolted from his nap by the blaring alarm, Lester followed Abby as she rushed out the door. Abby didn't realize Lester was following her until they'd almost reached the garage. When she did notice him, she stopped in her tracks.

"Hey," Abby said, "since when do you leave the ARC when there's an anomaly alert?"

_Since I lost the ability to work behind a desk_, Lester thought, though he knew that wasn't true. He had gone with Abby because he hadn't wanted her to leave him. It wasn't so much that he was afraid to be alone, but that he didn't want to be separated from her. Lester knew he should be horrified by this knowledge and, yet, somehow, it didn't seem strange.

Abby was studying Lester with the same intense look she always seemed to have when she was trying to work out what he was thinking, but, then, her expression changed to one of comprehension and it was obvious she understood.

"You stay in the car, okay?" Abby said.

Lester barked once and eagerly led the way to the garage.

"What's he doing here?" Danny demanded as soon as he saw Lester.

Abby bit her lip. "He wanted to come and…Well, I'm not sure if it's a good idea to leave him here on his own."

"But it's a good idea to bring him along while we hunt down dinosaurs?" Danny asked.

"He promised to stay in the car," Abby said.

Danny rolled his eyes. "Oh, that's great 'cause it's not as if a dinosaur has ever thrown a car in the air or stamped on it!"

Abby crossed her arms. "What was I supposed to do, Danny? Lock him in my lab? What if Helen's twin showed up? Helen has sneaked into the ARC before. I'm sure she could do it again – whether she's the same person or not."

Danny sighed. "If he has to come then he sticks with us. We're not leaving him in the car." He crouched down in front of Lester and looked directly into his eyes. "And if I tell you to run, you run as fast as your little doggy legs will carry you."

Abby snorted. "With his 'little doggy legs,' he could outrun any of us – easily."

"Well, that's great," Danny said. "I'm glad to hear it." He cleared his throat and rose from his haunches. "Let's go."

"Where _are_ we going?" Abby asked as she and Lester followed Danny to one of the ARC vehicles.

"Chesham Bois Wood," Danny said.

_Oh, hell_, Lester thought. Chesham Bois Wood was only about 20 miles from his house. He definitely wasn't happy about an anomaly opening that close to Joanna and the kids. He hoped they could close the anomaly before anything could escape from it.

"Lester, are you coming or not?" Danny had turned to glance back at Lester, who hadn't realized he'd stopped. Knowing that Danny was looking for an excuse to leave him behind, Lester quickly started moving again. He sped past Danny and jumped through the open door of one of the SUVs, landing beside Connor.

"Hi," Connor said. "I didn't realize you were coming."

Lester barked once and stared back at Connor, as if daring him to object.

Connor lifted his hands placatingly. "Hey, I think it's great. We might need that nose of yours."

_My nose?_

Connor nodded as if Lester had spoken aloud. "German shepherds are brilliant trackers. Police use them to sniff out drugs, and search and rescue teams take German shepherds to disaster areas to find people trapped in rubble. Their sense of smell is _that_ good."

Lester felt his tail wag. Yes, he liked that idea. It would be nice to be useful. All of this inactivity was driving him mad.

Connor beamed when he saw Lester's tail and gave him a quick pat on the head.

"Hey, shove over," Abby said as she climbed into the back of the car. Lester moved to the middle seat, watching Connor pull his laptop out of his bag. Connor brought up a website with a map of Chesham Bois Wood, and Lester craned his neck to see the screen.

"We detected the anomaly, here, in Great Bois Wood," Connor said, pointing to one of the smaller woods that made up Chesham Bois Wood. "Hmm…parking could be a problem. I'm not sure if there's a car park. We might have to find a lay-by or park at a pub."

Lester barked twice and placed a paw on the far right side of the screen.

"What are you trying to show me?" Connor asked. "I can't see. Your paw's in the way."

The alphabet blocks were back at the ARC, but Lester had something just as good – assuming his big paw didn't get in the way. Fortunately, Connor anticipated Lester's needs and opened up Notepad. It was a challenge typing with the one paw, but Lester managed with a bit of patience and a lot of concentration.

manor rd

Connor's forehead creased. "What about it? Is there parking there?"

Lester barked once and typed again.

car park at pool

"Cheers," Connor said. He thumped the back of the driver's seat. "Danny, we should head to Manor Road. Lester says there's a car park."

Danny glanced at Connor and Lester in the rear-view mirror. "That should save us some time." His eyes shifted to Sarah, who was sitting next to him. "Can you phone Becker and let him know?"

  


  
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As soon as they arrived at the car park, Connor was unbuckling his seatbelt and springing out of the SUV. Lester was at his side as Connor whipped out the hand-held anomaly detector.

"Wait for Becker and his men," Danny said. "I don't care how well Lester knows Chesham Bois Wood. The soldiers go in first."

Connor rolled his eyes, but stayed put until the other two SUVs pulled up and the military contingent arrived. However, he was practically on Becker's heels as they walked across the road to the bridge leading to Chesham Moor. When the soldiers almost took a wrong turn before Woodley Hill, Lester had to take over.

By the time they reached the railway bridge, Connor and Lester were leading the team because everyone else was lost. No one seemed to notice that they had made it to Great Bois Wood until they had climbed the steep bank beyond Great Bois Wood House and had passed through the bicycle barriers. Becker had lifted his hand to motion his men forward when the hand-held anomaly detector picked up a signal.

"It's coming from over there," Connor said, pointing a finger to his left. Lester heard Danny sigh as they were forced to abandon what was already a muddy path to walk through even more mud. Normally, Lester would have agreed wholeheartedly with Danny's feelings on the subject, especially if one of his Savile Row suits were involved, but Lester the dog seemed to like mud. He trod through it quite happily as everyone followed Connor through the beech trees.

They had only been walking for about ten minutes, when they were greeted by the bright glare of an anomaly. Although Lester could no longer see the anomaly the same way given the limits of canine vision, he still couldn't help staring in wonder at the light fragments emanating from the anomaly. Usually, Lester's excitement faded as soon as he began thinking about what might have escaped from the anomaly and the impact it could have on the public. However, this time his excitement only intensified as he picked up a scent he had never come across before, though he knew it belonged to an animal. Lowering his nose to the ground, Lester started following the trail.

"Lester, where are you going?" Danny demanded.

"He must have picked up a scent," Connor said, as he jogged to keep up with Lester.

"What scent?" Danny asked. "Is it a dinosaur?"

Lester ignored Danny because, really, how was he supposed to know? He hadn't even been a dog two days ago and this was the first time he had tried to track anything.

"Guys, hold on," Abby said. She had lowered herself on her haunches and was examining the ground. Connor and Danny doubled back and crouched down beside Abby, while Lester circled around them impatiently. "Look at this print in the mud. What does it look like to you?"

Danny squinted at the mark in the mud. "It doesn't look reptilian, but it's too big to be Lester's print. Is it a dire wolf?"

Connor shook his head. His eyes were fixed on the print and he was tracing it with one finger. "It looks more feline than canine."

"I was thinking smilodon," Abby said.

Danny raised an eyebrow. "That's a sabre-toothed tiger, right?"

"A sabre-toothed _cat_, yeah," Connor said.

Danny looked first at Lester then at the print. "Um, maybe it would be better if Lester stayed in the car."

Connor glanced at Lester and bit his lip. "Yeah, if we've got paw prints, we don't need Lester to track the smilodon."

Angry that he was being so easily dismissed, Lester glared at Danny and Connor and then took off after the scent.

"On the other hand, Lester's method does seem quicker," Connor said.

"Lester! Lester, come back here!" Danny got to his feet and darted after Lester.

Lester had only been tracking the smilodon for a few minutes when he raised his head and froze. He could hear a familiar chattering from one of the beeches. Lester wondered if there was only one squirrel or several.

Abby appeared in Lester's field of vision. "Lester, focus," she whispered.

_Smilodon. Right._

Lester resumed his tracking and there were no further interruptions until he reached the foot of a beech tree that had to be centuries old, given the massive girth of its trunk. Lester stared at the patchwork of gnarled wood and moss in front of him and wondered why the trail had ended. Then he saw the four long claw marks gouged into the bark. A deep growl rumbled in his chest and his hackles rose.

"James, run!" Danny cried.

Lester heard the boughs creaking before he could even look up. He managed to catch a brief glimpse of the smilodon as it broke cover from the leafy branches and vaulted from the tree. However, the smilodon executed such an impressive leap that it soared over Lester and landed on the ground a few metres away from him. As Lester whipped around, he saw that the smilodon was standing in front of Sarah.

To her credit, Sarah didn't scream, but, judging by her wide eyes and trembling limbs, this was only because the sound had got caught in her throat.

Before Lester knew it, he was tearing towards the smilodon and jumping on its back. The smilodon snarled in fury and tried to shake Lester off, but Lester had dug in his claws and was gripping the back of the smilodon's neck with his teeth. Lester saw Danny and Connor pull Sarah to safety and heard Becker shouting orders to his men. It was Abby's voice he registered most clearly.

"Use tranquilizer guns in case you hit Lester!"

Ah, yes. Lester hadn't thought of that. Then the matter of gunshot wounds was no longer an issue as the smilodon managed to hurl Lester off its back.

Dazed, Lester lay on the ground as chaos erupted around him. This time, Sarah did scream as the smilodon lunged again, but now it was targeting Connor. Fortunately, Abby was beside Connor in an instant, directing a roundhouse kick to the smilodon's snout. Then the smilodon roared as it was hit by three tranquilizer darts. It took a few clumsy steps, stumbled, and then collapsed in a heap. Abby and Connor knelt down beside the creature to check its condition, while Danny rushed to Lester's side.

"Are you okay? Did it hurt you?" Danny ran his hands over Lester, as if checking for broken bones. Lester rose to a sitting position, as this seemed to be the best way to convince Danny that he wasn't injured. Judging by the relieved expression on Danny's face, it worked. However, the relief was almost immediately supplanted by another emotion entirely.

_Here it comes_, Lester thought, bracing himself.

"What the hell do you think you were doing?" Danny shouted. "I told you to run not go head-to-head with it! You could have been killed! Hell, you _deserve_ to be killed after pulling a stunt like that!"

"Whoa," Becker said. "Calm down, Danny. You'd think you two were dating the way you're carrying on."

Danny clenched his jaw and glared at Becker. "We _are_ dating."

_Oh, no. You did not just say that._ Lester closed his eyes. _Oh, God, you_ did _just say that. You stupid bloody fool._

Everyone gaped at Danny in shock, with the exception of Abby, who didn't look so much surprised as concerned.

"Lester couldn't help it," Abby said. "His canine instincts took over."

Danny's eyes narrowed. "His _canine_ instincts? Abby, he's human. Okay, his consciousness is inside of a dog, but he's still in control of the brain."

Abby tossed a look at Lester and smiled sadly. "No, Danny, he isn't. Not entirely, anyway."

When Danny stared at her blankly, Abby said, "Where do you think the dog's gone? He didn't just disappear. He's in there too."

Danny crossed his arms, eyeing Abby defiantly. "Lester can communicate with us. He spells out words. He possesses human intelligence."

Abby sighed. "Yes, he possesses human intelligence, but he's being influenced by the dog," she said. "Why do you think he likes having his ears scratched or has the need to chase after frisbees and squirrels? When the smilodon tried to attack Sarah, Lester jumped on its back because that's what dogs do. Dogs have been known to go up against bears to protect their owners. Lester may have felt the need to protect Sarah because he sees her as his responsibility and actually cares about her, despite what he'd have everyone else believe." Abby laid a hand on Danny's arm, though her gaze was fixed on Lester. "Danny, he's not just inside a dog's body: he _is_ a dog."

Lester's ears flattened and he sank down on his belly as if Abby had just struck him. Well, he had been dealt a blow, though it was an emotional blow, not a physical one. He had believed that Abby was on side, that she was the one person who still saw him as a man and treated him as such. He had obviously been mistaken. Lester wanted to be angry, but all he felt was pain.

Abby thought he was nothing more than a dog and, now, thanks to Danny, everyone knew that he had been sleeping with an employee. Perfect. Just perfect.

He couldn't defend himself against their accusations or even attempt to offer any explanations. His voice had been stripped away from him, along with his autonomy, for Lester had finally realized just how helpless and powerless he was. He was at the complete mercy of these people. They could do anything they wanted to him and he couldn't stop them.

Lester stood up slowly, trying to ignore the tremors coursing through him. He might not have a voice, or even a hint of independence, but he still had legs and, by God, he was going to use them.

Squaring his shoulders, Lester started to walk away from the team.

"Lester?" Abby said. "Lester, where are you going?"

Lester didn't acknowledge Abby. He just kept walking. Then, hearing the sound of several feet approaching him, Lester took off, running as fast as his legs would carry him.

  


  
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Lester didn't know how long he ran before his body gave out and he dropped, panting, to the ground. He only allowed himself a few minutes' rest before he hauled himself back on his feet and continued moving out of Great Bois Wood. However, instead of returning to the car park at Chesham open-air swimming pool, Lester travelled south, leaving the wood at Long Park Way. He was incredibly thirsty and Bricky Pond seemed like his best option if he wanted a drink.

Thankfully, the only person visiting Bricky Pond was an old man who was dozing on one of the carved wooden seats. Nevertheless, Lester kept a watchful eye on the man as he drank and he didn't stay long. In fact, he stayed out of sight as much as he could, a task that was made much easier once darkness fell. He was practically invisible as he made his way along the verge of the road to Amersham.

Lester was so tired when he reached High Wycombe, that he almost didn't recognize the streets that were usually so familiar to him. It was only his newly-enhanced night vision that helped him navigate his way to Priory Road.

He had no idea what time it was when he finally made it to his house. He just knew it was very late. He wasn't sure where he found the energy, but he managed to scale the wooden fence and land inside the garden. Then he curled up under the rhododendron and instantly fell asleep.

  


  
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Lester woke the next morning to find himself under the scrutiny of two sets of brown eyes. As the boys lay side by side on their bellies in the dewy grass, their fair heads almost touched and their astonished expressions were nearly identical.

"How did you get here?" Peter asked. He was about to pet Lester when he hesitated. After taking a moment to consider, he carefully extended his hand for Lester to sniff instead.

Ah, yes. Peter had been a practical and level-headed boy even before he had reached the ripe old age of eleven. Not wishing to frighten his oldest son, Lester gently pressed his nose against Peter's palm. Peter broke into a grin and started stroking Lester's head. At five, Jeremy didn't share any of his brother's cautious nature and dove in with both hands to ruffle Lester's fur.

"Do you think Mummy and Daddy will let us keep him?" Jeremy asked.

"He might belong to someone." Peter was feeling along Lester's neck, no doubt searching for something Lester knew he wouldn't find. "That's strange. He hasn't got a collar. Maybe he's a stray."

"Then we can keep him," Jeremy said, wrapping his arms around Lester as if he were already claiming ownership.

Peter gazed at his brother sternly. "We have to see if he belongs to anybody."

Jeremy's grip grew tighter. "But he's in our garden, so that makes him our dog."

_Yes, you're absolutely right, Jeremy. I'm in your garden, so that makes me your dog._

Peter frowned at Jeremy and Lester. "I'd better get Mum." He ran to the house, but Jeremy remained on the grass. Jeremy had propped his chin on one fist and was studying Lester.

"I'm going to call you K-9," Jeremy said.

_Well, it's an improvement on Lassie_.

"I'll take you for walks, and we can play together, and I can teach you tricks." Jeremy leaned closer to whisper in Lester's ear. "And you can help me find pirate treasure."

_Pirate treasure?_

Jeremy giggled. "I buried some in the garden."

_Oh, goody_. Lester began running through a mental inventory of the items Jeremy might have managed to get his hands on as he scanned the garden for tell-tale mounds of dirt. When he didn't find any, he followed Jeremy's eyes as they drifted to Joanna's flower beds. Lester winced. Joanna was going to have a fit when she found out. She was going to have a fit and blame him because he had been the one to buy that book on pirates. Why hadn't he chosen the one about knights instead?

Lester didn't realize he'd whimpered until Jeremy frowned anxiously and began patting his head.

"It's okay, K-9," Jeremy said. "I'll look after you."

Jeremy's little face looked so sweet and earnest that Lester just had to kiss him. Squirming as he was licked, Jeremy giggled again, but he didn't pull away.

"Oh, aren't you lovely?" Joanna had walked into the garden with Peter and was heading towards them. She was wearing old jeans and a faded t-shirt, her hair tied back in a pony-tail. It was the way she usually dressed if she were about to do some housework or engage in a spot of gardening.

"Mummy, can we keep him?" Jeremy asked. "Can we, Mummy?"

_Yes, can we keep me, Mummy?_

"Jeremy, we don't even know where he came from or who he might belong to." Joanna knelt down beside Jeremy and ran her eyes over Lester. "He's filthy!" she exclaimed. "He's covered in mud!" She grasped Lester by the jaw and looked into his eyes. "Have you been having a tramp in the woods?"

_I never could hide anything from you._

"Can I give him a bath, Mummy?" Jeremy said.

Joanna stared at Jeremy in disbelief. "You want to give him a bath? _You_?"

Jeremy nodded eagerly. "And I'll take him for walks, and feed him, and teach him tricks."

Joanna smiled sadly. "He's not your dog, sweetheart. We have to find out who he really belongs to and give him back."

_I belong here_.

Jeremy crossed his arms and scowled. "If he belongs to somebody then why is he in our garden?"

"Well, he might be lost," Joanna said. "If you were lost, wouldn't you want to come home?"

Jeremy tilted his head for an instant and actually considered the question. "Depends. I wouldn't want to go home if I was in the TARDIS or on a pirate ship."

"Or Hogwarts," Peter added helpfully.

"Or Hogwarts," Jeremy said.

Joanna bit her lip, clearly trying not to laugh. "If you weren't in the TARDIS, or on a pirate ship, or at Hogwarts, you'd want to come home again, wouldn't you?"

Jeremy shrugged. "Maybe. But K-9 doesn't want to go home. He likes it here."

"K-9?" Joanna's eyes widened. "Oh God, he's already named the dog."

"I bet he ran away because his owners were horrible," Jeremy said.

Peter jumped in before Joanna could speak. "Or he could be a stray because he doesn't have a collar."

Joanna's lips twitched. "Yes, you mentioned that." She glanced at Lester again, her eyes falling on one of his front paws. "Oh, you poor thing! How far did you walk to get here?" She lifted the paw in question, studying the cut on the swollen pad.

_You really don't want to know, Jo._

"Poor baby. You must be starving." Joanna turned to Peter. "Could you fetch some water? I'm going to see if Finola can spare some dog food."

"Okay, Mum," Peter said. He ran into the house, and Joanna headed to the neighbour's. Up until that moment, Lester hadn't really been aware of hunger or thirst – he'd been too tired and sore for that. However, as soon as Peter set the bowl of water down in front of him, he lapped it all up. Peter was just returning with some more water, when Joanna set another bowl in front of him. Apparently, Finola hadn't just provided a tin of dog food but had opened it and dished out the meal as well.

Lester had consumed most of his breakfast when Emma appeared. Lester was amazed that she was actually awake and out of bed.

Emma gazed impassively at the tableau in front of her and raised an eyebrow. "What's with the dog?" she asked.

"His name is K-9 and he's come to live with us," Jeremy said.

Joanna sighed audibly. "Jeremy, we've gone over this: he's _not_ our dog."

Emma moved a little closer. "He's filthy. Where'd you find him? Inside a skip?"

_You try trekking through mud and see how appealing you look!_

Peter glared at his sister. "He isn't filthy, just muddy, and we found him here, in the garden."

Emma's brow creased. "But how did he get in? The gate should have been locked. Did he climb the fence?"

"Oh," Joanna said, "I never thought about that." She studied the gate. "I'm sure I locked it last night…Yes, I did lock it! It was locked when I went to Finola's."

Emma rolled her eyes. "So, you're feeding some flea-infested mutt that's broken into our garden."

_Hey, I resent that! I don't have a single flea! Abby checked!_

"K-9 hasn't got fleas!" Jeremy shouted.

Emma crossed her arms. "You don't know where he's been or where he came from. Who knows what diseases he could be carrying? Did you even think of that?"

_Oh, first I'm flea-infested and now I'm diseased. This is just wonderful_.

"Emma, I'm sure he doesn't have any diseases," Joanna said. "And he's been ever so good and has such a lovely temperament." She scratched behind Lester's ears, cooing to him softly.

Emma threw up her hands. "Have you at least called the RSPCA?"

Joanna blushed. "Well, it's Saturday. I assumed no one would be in."

"Mum, who do you think takes care of all the animals if no one's in on a Saturday?" Emma shook her head in exasperation. "I'll just go and look up the number, shall I?"

"Later," Joanna said. "Come and see the dog."

Emma wrinkled her nose. "I can see him just fine from here."

Joanna regarded Emma curiously. "Weren't you the one who first suggested getting a pet? I seem to remember you being the ringleader when all of you ganged up on your father."

_She was_.

Emma shrugged. "I don't know. I might have been. But I don't want some mutt. I thought we could go to a breeder."

_A breeder? You must be joking. You could probably get ten mutts for the amount you'd have to pay a breeder!_

Joanna snorted. "Oh, yes, I can see your father forking out a couple of hundred quid for a pedigree dog."

"Yes, well," Emma said, "at least we'd know where the expensive dog came from. There'd be a record of everything, and we'd be able to train it properly because we'd buy it when it's a puppy.

Peter scowled. "I bet K-9's trained already. If he isn't then he could still learn. German shepherds are highly intelligent."

Emma looked down her nose at Peter. "I've been told you're highly intelligent, but that doesn't mean I want you around."

Lester snorted. _That was actually quite good, though completely inappropriate, of course_.

"Emma, I don't think that's what you meant to say, is it?" Joanna said, a warning tone in her voice.

"You're right." Emma smiled brightly at her brother. "I say, Peter, I'm awfully sorry Mummy and Daddy didn't use contraceptives after I was born."

_Emma!_

"Emma!" Joanna cried. "The things that come out of your mouth! Why, you're as bad as…No, you're _worse_ than your father!"

_Well, I wouldn't go that far_.

"Thank you," Emma said.

Joanna stared at Emma for a moment then shook her head. "I'm going to see if we have anything in the medicine cabinet for our friend's paw," she said. "Finola suggested that we soak the paw in a basin of warm water and Epsom salts and then apply some antiseptic cream. I think we've got some Savlon, so maybe that will do."

_Sounds lovely. Perhaps you could find some dog biscuits too_.

Peter jumped to his feet. "I can carry the water for you, Mum."

"That's very kind of you, Peter," Joanna said. "Thank you." She glanced at Emma again. "You'll look after Jeremy and K-9 while we're gone, won't you?"

"K-9?" Emma grimaced. "Now you're doing it, Mum!"

Joanna raised her chin. "Well, we have to call him _something_ until we find his owners." She smiled. "Why don't you do something useful and pull up a few weeds while I'm gone?"

Emma waited until Joanna was out of earshot before she said, "That's _so_ not going to happen. I just painted my nails." She turned her gaze on Jeremy. "So, you've found yourself a little friend."

Jeremy wrapped an arm around Lester. "You stay away from him, Emma."

"Trust me," Emma said. "I intend to. I don't want his gutter germs all over me."

_Right. That's it. She's insulted my pedigree one too many times_.

Lester leapt to his feet and ran towards Emma. Emma tried to back away, but Lester was faster. He jumped on Emma, planting his front paws on her shoulders. Ignoring Emma's shrieks, Lester licked a wide swath across her face.

"Oh my God!" Emma shouted. "He's attacking me! Get him off me! Jeremy!"

Jeremy laughed and cheered.

Emma managed to shove Lester away and stumbled backwards. "I am _so_ calling the RSPCA!" She turned to go into the house and froze. Instantly alert, Lester's head swivelled around sharply. Abby Maitland and Connor Temple were standing outside the garden gate, staring in at them.

  


  
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Lester had hoped it would take them longer to find him, that he would have a bit more time to spend with his family before they dragged him away. But these were people who tracked animals down for a living. He should have known that he'd have little or no chance of eluding them completely.

Jeremy came to stand beside Lester, as if sensing that Abby and Connor were a threat. Emma remained where she was, though her body tensed and her fingers curled into fists.

"You two," Emma said. "What do you want? My dad isn't here."

Abby tossed an uneasy look at Connor and cleared her throat. "Uh, hi. Emma, isn't it?"

Before Emma could answer, the back door to the house opened. Joanna and Peter stepped into the garden, both stopping when they saw Abby and Connor.

"Oh, hello," Joanna said.

Abby and Connor exchanged an uncomfortable glance before Abby spoke. "I'm very sorry to disturb you, but we've lost our dog and…Well, it looks like he ended up in your garden."

Joanna's eyes darted anxiously to Jeremy before she managed to produce a smile. "Well, that's wonderful. Please, do come in." She lifted the latch on the gate and swung it open. "I'm Joanna and these are my children, Emma, Peter and Jeremy."

Abby held out her hand to Joanna. "It's a pleasure to meet you. I'm Abby and this is Connor."

Joanna shook hands with both Abby and Connor. "It's very nice to meet you," she said. "I was about to do a bit of first aid on your dog's paw, though I'm beginning to realize that it would have made more sense to give him a bath first. I don't know where he's been, but he's covered in mud and it looks like he's walked quite a distance, given the state of his paws."

_Oh where, oh where has my little dog gone?_

Abby bit her lip. "Uh, yeah. We were in Chesham Bois Wood."

Joanna's eyes widened. "But that's miles away! Why would he have come this far?"

"He was startled," Connor said. "He had a bad scare and took off."

Lester glared at Connor. _I wasn't bloody scared and you know it_.

"And he just happened to end up here?" Emma asked. "In our garden?" Her hands were on her hips now and she was eyeing Abby and Connor suspiciously.

Connor laughed weakly. "Yeah. Funny that."

Peter set down the bowl of water and walked up to Connor. "Why doesn't he have a collar? He should have a collar with a tag on it. We could report you, you know."

"Peter!" Joanna exclaimed. "I'm terribly sorry. He's not usually this rude." She gave a pointed look at Peter. "You should apologize."

"It's okay," Connor said. "He's right. The dog should have been wearing his collar. It's just that…that…"

Abby jumped in to save Connor. "His collar got caught on some brambles. We had to remove it before we were able to free him."

"So why didn't you put it back on when he was free?" Peter asked.

_Good question, Peter_.

"Oh, um…because that's when he got scared and ran away," Abby said.

Emma's eyes narrowed, but she kept quiet. Jeremy wasn't able to exercise such restraint.

"Are you sure he didn't run away because you were horrible to him?" Jeremy asked.

"Jeremy! You shouldn't say such things!" Joanna blushed, looking completely mortified.

Jeremy stared up at his mother inquisitively. "Why? If they were horrible to K-9 then we don't have to give him back."

Connor raised an amused eyebrow. "K-9?"

"I'm sorry," Joanna said. "He named your dog before I could stop him."

Connor grinned. "That's okay. K-9's brilliant. Almost as cool as the Daleks."

"So what's his real name?" Peter asked.

"Lester," Connor said, before he could stop himself.

Peter's brow furrowed. "But that's _our_ name."

Lester saw Abby smack Connor's arm. Fortunately, Joanna seemed too surprised by Connor's revelation to notice. However, Emma's sharp gaze had fallen directly on Lester. Lester wasn't sure if he should be relieved or worried that he couldn't read the expression on her face.

"Isn't that funny?" Joanna said. "A dog named 'Lester' turning up in our garden." She gave Lester a speculative look, but it was nothing more than that. Emma, on the other hand, was still scrutinizing Lester far too closely.

"We should be going," Abby said. Her eyes were on Emma, and Lester knew that she'd also noticed Emma's sudden interest in the German shepherd.

"Could I at least offer you a drink before you go?" Joanna asked.

Abby managed to tear her eyes away from Emma. "No, we really should be going, but thanks. Thanks for everything."

"That's all right," Joanna said. "Think nothing of it. We were delighted your dog could drop in for a visit. It's been such a treat, especially for the boys."

Abby smiled. "Well, I'm glad he wasn't too much trouble."

"Oh, he was no trouble at all." Joanna crouched down in front of Lester and scratched behind one of his ears. "You've been absolutely lovely, haven't you?"

_Well, yes, I suppose I have_.

"You just need sprucing up a bit." Joanna glanced up at Abby. "You'll see to his paw, won't you?"

Abby nodded. "It's the first thing I'll do after I've given him his bath."

Lester tensed despite the gentle caress of Joanna's hand. _Bath? You can't be serious_.

"What is it?" Joanna asked. "Don't you like baths? I know someone else just like you." She shot an accusing look at Jeremy. "Well, don't just stand there, both of you. Come and say goodbye to Lester."

Peter came forward at once and patted Lester's head affectionately, but Jeremy wouldn't budge.

"Sweetheart?" Joanna said.

Jeremy sniffed and his bottom lip quivered. Then his entire face crumpled and he began to cry.

Joanna's hand flew to her mouth. "Oh, sweetheart."

Jeremy plopped down on the grass and sobbed as if his heart were breaking. Then Lester realized that it probably was.

It had been stupid and selfish of him to show up here. He should have known what the repercussions would be.

Although Lester couldn't take back what he'd done, he could at least make some effort to repair the damage. He walked over to Jeremy and began licking the tears from his face. An instant later, Jeremy was clinging to Lester and his wet face was pressed against Lester's side. Joanna gave them a couple of minutes before she pulled Jeremy away.

"Come on, darling," Joanna said. "I think you'd better go to your room for a while."

Jeremy tried to break free. "I don't want to."

"Well, no, dear. You never do." Joanna smiled at Abby and Connor apologetically. "I'm sorry. He's five and five year olds get attached very quickly."

"No, we should be the ones apologizing," Abby said.

"We didn't mean to hurt the little guy." Connor's eyes were suspiciously bright and he looked like he might burst into tears himself.

Joanna brushed some of the hair from Jeremy's forehead. "Oh, you'll be okay, won't you, Jeremy?"

Jeremy shook his head violently. "No, I won't. I'll never be okay. Never ever _ever_."

"Never ever…_ever_?" Joanna asked. "That's an awfully long time, Jeremy."

"I don't care," Jeremy said. "I'm never ever ever going to be okay forever, Mummy."

Joanna laughed. "Well, now I know you're going to be okay because you sound just like your father." She took Jeremy's hand and started walking towards the house, looking back at Abby and Connor over her shoulder. "It was very nice meeting you both."

"And you," Abby said. "Thanks again."

When Joanna and Jeremy had disappeared inside the house, Lester looked at the remaining members of his family. What he saw thoroughly shocked him.

Emma had turned at least two shades paler and was shaking visibly. Peter was gaping at her, clearly concerned. After a brief hesitation, he reached out to touch his sister's arm. "Emma, are you okay?" he asked.

I'll give you £10 if you get out," Emma whispered.

Peter's brow furrowed. "Out of the garden?"

Emma gave a jerky nod. "Yes. The money's in my purse."

Peter's eyebrows shot up. "You're letting me go inside your purse?" He frowned. "Maybe I should get Mum…"

"Fine," Emma snapped. "Make it £20. That's all I have. I'll give you £20 to get out of the garden and keep your mouth shut."

Peter hesitated, looking unsure. "Are you really okay? You look sort of funny."

Emma ran a hand across her face. "If you're that worried, you can come back in half an hour and check on me."

"Twenty minutes," Peter said. "I'll only take £10 if I can come back in 20 minutes."

Emma sighed. "God, you're almost as bad as Mum. Okay, 20 minutes. Now piss off."

It wasn't up to her usual standard, but Peter must have been reassured by Emma's "piss off" because he retreated inside the house without further argument. Abby and Connor, who had stood in stunned silence during Emma and Peter's exchange, seemed far from reassured. When Emma moved past them to block their exit through the gate, they shared a look of panic.

"What really happened to my dad?" Emma asked.

Connor, being Connor, tried to deflect the question. "Um, what do you mean?"

Abby rolled her eyes at Connor. "I think your dad's supposed to be at a conference or something," she said.

Emma crossed her arms. "No, what _really_ happened to him?"

Abby's eyes shifted away from Emma, while Connor seemed utterly fascinated by his shoes.

Emma shook her head. "I don't know how he puts up with you." She looked at the German shepherd sitting in front of her. "How do you do it, Dad?"

  


  
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Lester stared back at Emma in amazement. Although he had suspected that she might have worked it out, he had been clinging to the faint hope that she hadn't put all the clues together. The denial had been nice while it lasted.

"Emma…" Abby said.

"Shut up." Emma walked over to Lester and knelt in front of him, placing her hands on either side of his head. "I know you can't talk, but I assume you can bark. If you're my dad, bark three times."

Lester didn't know what to do. It was one thing withholding information from his family to protect them, but could he actually look in his daughter's eyes and tell her an outright lie? Was he that cold? If Emma's life were in danger, he knew he'd find a way to push past his qualms, but he was the one at risk here.

"Emma." Abby sat down on the grass and placed a hand on Emma's shoulder. Then she sighed when Emma flinched and shook her off. "Emma, I don't know what's going on, but you must realize how crazy – "

"No," Emma hissed, "don't you dare. I know what kind of strange things you're into. I was at that club. I saw that big sparkling light and all those dodos. You may have tried to cover it up, but _I_ remember." Emma tore her eyes away from Lester long enough to glare at Abby. "Do you really expect me to believe your dog, who happens to be named Lester, decided to come to this house – out of all the houses he could have chosen – after walking all that way from Chesham Bois Wood? Oh, and if that's not enough, he went straight to Jeremy as soon as he started crying – just like Dad would because Dad hates it when Jeremy cries."

Abby stood up abruptly. "I…I don't know what to say."

"Then do us all a favour and don't say anything." Emma's eyes returned to Lester, and Lester wasn't sure if he should fear or admire the determination in her eyes. "You still haven't answered my question. All I'm asking for is three barks." Emma's fingers dug into the fur of Lester's ruff. "You can lie about your job, but you can't lie to me now. Not about this. If you can't tell me the truth then I want nothing more to do with you. You'll no longer be my father, and I definitely _won't_ be your daughter. So, what's it going to be?"

It was one of the hardest things Lester had ever had to do, but he somehow managed to dredge up three barks.

He thought Emma would look smug or triumphant, but she just started trembling again and her eyes filled with tears.

"Daddy?" Emma whispered. "How?"

Lester bit back a whimper. _Where do I even begin?_ Even if he had the alphabet blocks with him, they wouldn't be enough. He laid a paw on Emma's arm, knowing it was all he could offer her. Then Connor's lips were parting, and the words Lester wanted to speak were flooding from his mouth.

"That big sparkling light you saw is called an anomaly," Connor said. "It's like a portal that connects one time to another. Usually, they're closed and invisible, but, sometimes, one will open, like that one in the club. When it does, it can be a problem if there are any creatures on the other side."

"Like dodos?" Emma asked.

Connor smiled. "Yeah, like dodos, though often it's something worse. Yesterday, it was a sabre-toothed cat."

Emma raised an eyebrow. "In Chesham Bois Wood?"

Connor nodded. "Yeah, but that isn't what made your dad run here, if that's what you're thinking. He ran because…Well, we're not exactly sure why, though I think I can guess. Anyway, it's, um, complicated."

"My dad's a dog, so I'd say this whole thing is complicated." Emma looked down at the paw that was still resting on her arm and sighed. "So, there are these anomalies that open up on different times. That's absolutely fascinating, but it doesn't explain what happened to my dad, unless whatever came out of one of these anomalies made him this way." Connor bit his lip, and Emma's mouth fell open. "Oh, you've got to be kidding! Some dinosaur did this to him?"

"Not a dinosaur but a woman," Abby said. "And this is about to get a lot more complicated because she was from a parallel universe in which – "

"Hold on!" Emma cried. "A _parallel universe_? These anomalies can lead to a parallel universe?"

"We're not sure," Connor said. "According to this professor we once knew, changes in the past can alter events in the present." He gazed at Lester and frowned. "We don't know where this woman came from, but we know that she was using the anomalies not only to travel to our world but the future. It was in the future that she got a hold of the technology to, um, transfer your dad's consciousness into a dog."

"But why?" Emma asked. "I mean, really. Who _does_ that?"

Abby grimaced. "If this woman is anything like her counterpart, she's completely mad." She raised a hand when she saw that Emma was about to speak. "Before you ask, her counterpart is dead."

"Yeah, but Anna Taylor's picking up where Helen left off," Connor said.

"By turning my dad into a dog?" Emma asked. "Lovely."

Connor smiled sympathetically at Emma. "Apparently, she and your dad – or, um, an alternate version of him – used to work together in this parallel universe. Then your dad tried to have her killed. But before Anna Taylor could seek revenge, your dad got killed himself."

Emma opened her mouth, paused, and then closed it again. Lester had never thought he would live to see this day, but, apparently, his daughter was at an actual loss for words. It was as if there was too much information to process, and Emma was struggling to take it all in. However, she wasn't a Lester for nothing and managed to recover quickly.

"Look, I don't care what my _other_ dad did," Emma said. "When I get my hands on this Anna Taylor, she's going to wish she had never been born – in either universe."

_Oh, no_, Lester thought. He didn't want Emma anywhere near Anna Taylor. It was bad enough she had learned about any of this in the first place. Lester barked twice and pawed at Emma's arm anxiously.

Emma's forehead creased. "What's he doing?"

"He's not happy," Abby said. "Two barks mean 'no'."

"And one bark means 'yes'? What is this? _Most Haunted_?" Emma glanced at Lester disdainfully. "I'm not going to stand by while some psycho bitch – "

Lester leapt to his feet and started heading for the gate. He had to leave. Emma couldn't be a part of this. There was a reason why he had kept his private life separate from his professional life all these years. He had broken the cardinal rule, and now his daughter was paying the price. He had to put as much distance between himself and Emma as possible.

His plan might have succeeded if Emma hadn't grabbed him before he made it to the gate.

"I'm sorry. Please don't go. I'm sorry." Emma's breath hitched and she clung tighter to Lester. "I'll stay out of it if that's what you want. Just don't run away again."

Lester barked once and rested his chin on Emma's shoulder as she wrapped her arms around him. An instant later, Emma pulled away. Lester was horrified to see tears on her cheeks, though Emma tried to swipe them from her face.

"You have to fix this," Emma told Abby and Connor.

"We're trying," Abby said.

"Well, try harder. I don't care how you do it. Just do it." Emma's voice sounded closer to its normal tone, though she was refusing to meet anyone's eyes. "You'll look after him, won't you? Make sure he doesn't take off again or get into trouble?"

Abby smiled, her expression compassionate. "Of course we will."

"Your dad's still at his flat, so you can phone there whenever you'd like," Connor said.

Emma gave a sharp nod. "Okay. I might do that." She gazed at the house almost reluctantly. "You'd better go before Peter or Mum starts snooping around." She leaned forward to plant a kiss on Lester's head. Then she rose swiftly and walked into the house, not looking back.

  


  
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Lester could see it was a struggle, but Abby managed to hold her tongue until they were all seated in her Mini. Then she turned in the driver's seat, and Lester almost winced at the fury in her eyes.

"What the hell do you think you were doing?" Abby shouted. "Do you have any idea how worried we've been?"

Connor glanced from Abby to Lester in concern. "Abby…"

"No," Abby said. "We just broke a little boy's heart and got told off by a teenager – all because of him!" Her gaze hardened. "Why did you do it, Lester? What were you trying to prove?"

Lester couldn't help it. He bared his teeth and growled. _What do you expect me to do? Mime my answer? Play a round of charades? Even if I could find a way to communicate, you wouldn't understand._

Abby blushed as if Lester had spoken aloud. "You can't actually answer me, can you?"

"Maybe we should continue this discussion when we get back," Connor said. "You're both exhausted and I don't think either of you is thinking too clearly."

Abby sighed wearily. "Yeah, okay. I suppose you're right." She gave Lester a pointed look. "We _are_ going to discuss this. Don't think you're going to get out of it that easily."

"Speaking of trying to get out of things…" Connor dug out his mobile and started scrolling through his list of contacts. "I promised I'd phone Danny if we managed to find Lester."

_Oh, wonderful_, Lester thought. He shut his eyes, trying to block out the shouting he could hear on the other end of Connor's mobile. His eyes blinked open again when Connor coughed nervously.

"Um, Danny wants to speak to you," Connor said.

Lester stared at Connor in disbelief for an instant, before grasping the mobile with his teeth and hurling it on the car floor.

The corners of Connor's mouth twitched. "Ah, so it's like that, is it?"

_Yes, it bloody well is_.

"What did he do?" Abby asked. She had finally pulled her car out of Lester's driveway and they were travelling through High Wycombe.

Connor could no longer hold back a grin. "He threw my mobile on the floor."

"Well, if he's pissed off at Danny that explains why he took off," Abby said.

Connor studied Lester for a moment and shook his head. "No, I think it might be more complicated than that."

Lester looked away and settled further into his seat. He wasn't sure whether he was resentful or grateful for the ease with which Connor had just read him.

  


  
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Lester found that he was even more indebted to Connor when they reached the flat. In a move that impressed Lester with its smoothness, Connor inserted himself between Danny and his intended target, raising a hand before Danny could even open his mouth.

"He needs a bath," Connor said, and he ushered Lester straight through to the bathroom. He managed to shut and lock the door before Danny arrived and began pounding on it. "Well, I've managed to buy you some time, but I don't know how much."

Lester barked once and tried to look appreciative.

Connor ducked his head almost shyly. "Oh, that's all right. It's the least I owe you." He started poking around in the bathroom, and Lester tried to work out what he was doing. Surely, Connor hadn't been serious about that bath. When Lester realized that this was what Connor intended, he tried to get away, but it was a pretty big challenge in a tiny room with a locked door.

Once Connor finished gathering supplies, he turned and looked surprised when he saw Lester pressed against the door. To his credit, Connor didn't laugh, though Lester could see that he was fighting a grin. "Look, I'll try to make it as painless as possible, okay?"

Lester barked once, though the sound seemed strangely tremulous to his ears. He knew he should move, but his legs weren't cooperating.

Connor crawled over to Lester, though he made no effort to grab him and force him into the bathtub. "Okay, this has to be the dog because you're fanatically neat and I know you take showers." He pet Lester's head. "I'm not going to hurt you. You know that, right?"

Lester managed to give a weak bark. He did know that and, while he wasn't thrilled by the idea of Connor giving him a bath, he knew he shouldn't be frightened. It didn't make any sense. 

Lester hadn't wanted to think about it before now, but he found himself wondering what lay in this dog's past to make him so afraid of water.

_There was something looped around his neck. The more he struggled, the tighter it got, until it was half-choking him. As he thrashed helplessly, he was hit by a powerful blast of icy cold water that almost knocked him off his feet. It surged into his mouth, nostrils and ears, and he could barely breathe. It drove him to the ground, then lower still, to the depths of fear and misery._

He was trembling, and Connor was stroking his back gently. Over his quiet whimpers, he heard Connor whisper soothingly.

_Right_, Lester thought. _I won't be doing that again_.

Eventually, he stopped whimpering and the trembling died down, but Connor continued stroking his back.

"You were able to access his memories, weren't you?" Connor asked. "You know why he's afraid."

Lester gave a single bark and walked slowly to the bathtub, trying to ignore his shaky limbs. Now that he had discovered the origin of the dog's fear, he was sure he could fight it. He had planted his front paws on the side of the tub when Connor appeared next to him.

"Maybe I'd better give you a hand," Connor said. "I don't want you to slip and fall."

_Oh, why not? It's not as if I haven't suffered enough humiliation already_. Lester gave a bark of assent, and Connor picked him up, depositing him safely in the tub.

"I'm going to use the shower attachment to wet your fur first. I won't go anywhere near your head. I'm just going to wash your chest, back and legs." Connor reached up to get the showerhead, bringing it down slowly to Lester's level, as if he were trying very hard not to startle him. "I'm going to use warm water, but I'll test it on my hand first to make sure it's not too hot."

Lester barked, wishing he found it more irritating that Connor was speaking to him as if he were a three year old.

Connor turned on the taps, and Lester jerked as the water burst from the shower head. However, Connor kept his word and made sure the temperature was just right before directing the water towards him.

"Shh, it's okay," Connor said as Lester began shaking again. He started scratching behind Lester's ears as he ran water over his back. It helped reduce some of the shudders, though Lester found it impossible to relax. It was almost a relief when Connor shut off the shower, though Lester knew bath-time wasn't over yet.

"I should really be using dog shampoo, but I think we can make do with what we've got." Connor picked up the shampoo bottle he'd found and squeezed out a large dollop before rubbing the shampoo into Lester's chest. "Your family's great. I can understand why you wanted to see them. It must be hard to be away from them during the week."

The question was obviously rhetorical, but Lester still barked once in reply.

Connor nodded and spread more shampoo over Lester's sides and back. "I know we're not your family, and we don't share the same bond with you as they do, but we _do_ care, Lester. We were all really worried when you took off, especially Danny." Connor lathered shampoo on Lester's legs. "I know you're a very private person, but if we've done something to hurt you we need to know. You're going to have to talk to us about it, or, at least, talk to Danny and Abby."

_Well_, Lester thought, _the boy's more perceptive than I realized. Damn him._

"Could you lift the paw you injured?" Connor asked. "It needs to be clean before Abby can treat it."

Lester raised the paw in question, and Connor washed the pads carefully, being extra cautious around the area of the cut. Connor had set the paw back down again and was putting down the shampoo bottle, when there was a knock on the door.

_Oh, please don't let it be Danny_.

"Connor, has Lester had his bath yet?" Abby said, her voice filtering through the door. "I want to bandage his paw."

Connor sprang to his feet. "Just a second."

_Oh, no. No, no, no, no, no. Don't you dare let her in._

Connor unlocked the door, and Abby walked into the bathroom with an armful of supplies. She raised her eyebrows at Lester, but held her tongue. Then Connor whispered something in Abby's ear that Lester couldn't quite make out. However, when Abby's face fell and her eyes darted in Lester's direction, Lester had a good idea what Connor had told her.

_What are you going to do next, Connor? Take out an advert?_ He watched Abby warily as she perched on the side of the tub. Then he had to fight the urge to wag his soapy tail as Abby began scratching behind his ears.

"Just relax, okay?" Abby said.

_Maybe once I'm out of the bath_, Lester thought. He could see Connor stretching out his hand for the shower attachment.

"Lester, look at me," Abby said. "Focus on me."

Lester heard the water start up and couldn't help tensing.

Abby tugged on one of Lester's ears gently. "It will all be over in a minute. Just keep your eyes on me. That's it. There you go. Just hold on a little longer, Lester."

A little longer turned out to be a lot longer than Lester would have liked, but he kept his eyes glued on Abby and managed to get through the ordeal.

Abby smiled at Lester when Connor turned off the shower. Then she fetched a towel and began drying Lester off. "Connor, can you help me lift him out of the bath? I don't want the bandages to get wet and I think we'll have more room to work on the floor."

"I can do it," Connor said. "Just grab what you need to treat his paw."

Lester contained a growl as Connor hauled him out of the bathtub. He wondered how the average dog was able to endure this kind of treatment. Were they like little children who wanted to be picked up and carried around?

"Lester, could you try to keep your injured paw off the ground?" Abby asked. "I'm going to dry it off and put on some ointment."

Lester didn't bother barking in reply. He simply raised his paw and sat patiently as Abby dried the pads of his foot with infinite care and patience. Then she was dabbing ointment on the cut.

"Once I bandage your paw, you should try to keep off of it as much as possible," Abby said. "No more long treks across Buckinghamshire."

Lester snorted but didn't argue. He had accomplished what he'd needed to accomplish.

"Is that too tight?" Abby asked once she had wrapped three layers of gauze and three layers of bandages around Lester's paw and ankle.

Lester barked twice. Then he lowered his foot, setting it gingerly on the ground. There was no pain. Satisfied, Lester headed for the door.

"Well, I suppose we're done," Abby said. She began gathering up her supplies, while Connor opened the bathroom door.

No one was surprised to see Danny standing outside in the hall.

  


  
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Danny tried to block Lester's exit, so Lester walked through his legs, ignoring Danny's squawk of protest. Lester found it harder to ignore Danny as he followed him into the living room.

"What the hell happened to you?" Danny demanded. "And-and what did you do to your paw?"

Lester had hoped there wouldn't be too many witnesses to their row, but Sarah and Becker were sitting on the settee. They must have arrived while he'd been in the bathroom. Lester lay down on the floor. He wondered if Sarah and Becker would leave – if they would _all_ leave – if he rolled over and played dead.

"Lay off him, Danny," Connor said. "He's had a rough time."

"_He's_ had a rough time?" Danny laughed. "_He's_ not the one who stayed up all night worrying. No, he left that job to _us_." Danny took the tub of alphabet blocks and set them down in front of Lester. "Talk."

Lester yawned and feigned disinterest.

"Talk!" Danny shouted. He grabbed the tub and poured out the alphabet blocks.

Lester lazily extended his injured paw, which happened to be his right one, and spelled out a reply.

PISS OFF WANKER

Danny flushed angrily, and Lester waited for the fireworks to begin. However, Danny surprised him by holding back on his temper and sitting down on the floor instead. A moment later, Abby joined him.

"Lester, why did you take off?" Abby asked.

Lester hesitated for an instant then started shuffling the blocks.

THOUGHT I COULD TRUST YOU

"You can," Abby said. "You know you can."

CALLED ME A DOG

"I – " Abby began. "Oh…"

Lester shot a look at Danny and moved the blocks around again.

OUTED US

"It was an accident," Danny said. "I didn't mean to."

YES YOU DID

WANTED TO TELL

Danny winced. "Okay, I'll admit it. I'm not big on secrets – not where my friends are concerned. And, unlike you, I'm not ashamed of us."

NOT ASHAMED

PRACTICAL

"Practical?" Danny exclaimed.

YOU WORK FOR ME

EASIER THIS WAY

"Easier?" Danny asked. "Easier for whom? Not me, mate."

Abby touched Danny's arm. "Give him a chance to explain," she said. Then her gaze shifted to Lester. "I can understand why you were angry, but did you have to walk that far? If you wanted to see your family, we would have taken you there."

WOULD YOU

"Of course we would." Abby stared at Lester in confusion. "Why would you think we wouldn't?'

As if on cue, Connor appeared and placed his laptop on the floor in front of Lester. He had apparently worked out that Lester was going to need more than wooden blocks to get his message across. Lester reached for the keyboard at once.

you think im a dog

i dont have rights

Abby's brow furrowed. She opened her mouth to argue then, seemingly at a loss, closed it again.

had to see them

didnt know if there would be another chance

"What do you mean by that?" Danny asked.

could end up in a kennel or shelter if we cant find my body or its dead

would never see them again

Abby shook her head and her eyes welled up with tears. "No, Lester, we wouldn't. We-we couldn't."

"Do you really think we would let that happen?" Danny said. "Do you really think _I_ would do that to you? I'm your _boyfriend_."

no youre not

not when im a dog

Danny gritted his teeth. "Look, I know I haven't been handling this very well, but you're still my boyfriend. It doesn't make any difference whether you're a man or a dog."

it makes a difference to you

dont need you to stay because you feel sorry for me or obligated to take care of me

im dumping you

were through

"Lester…" Abby gasped.

Danny rose to his feet abruptly. "Fine. Have it your own way. There are plenty of other German shepherds out there that would be thrilled to have me, I'm sure." He strode quickly across the living room, but Sarah managed to stop him before he reached the front door.

"Danny, you're not thinking clearly," Sarah said. "You need to get some sleep. Why don't you take a nap in the spare room or – "

Danny interrupted Sarah before she could finish. "Great idea. Some kip would do me good, but I'm going back to my place. If I stay here, I might disrupt Lester's existential angst."

Sarah's face fell. "Danny…"

"Leaving now," Danny said. He flung the door open and stormed out of Lester's flat.

Connor laughed nervously as the door slammed shut. "Well, that could have gone better."

_Not as far as I'm concerned_, Lester thought. He stood up and walked into the spare room. He wasn't able to slam the door behind him. However, it wasn't difficult to push it closed.

  


  
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There was something tugging at his bandage. As Lester was still half asleep, he couldn't work out what it was. Logic told him that he must be alone. As he hadn't been able to lock the door to the spare room, he had lain against it. He would have known if someone had managed to get in because he would have been shoved across the floor. And, yet, there was something tugging at his bandage.

Lester opened his eyes and stared down at his paw in surprise. Sid was chewing on the bandage, trying to pull the dressing apart. Lester shook his paw, batting Sid away. As he did so, he saw another little body pressed up against his side. He should have known that wherever Sid went, Nancy was sure to follow.

Lester craned his neck around to look at the door. It was open a crack. The space was too small for most creatures, but it probably wouldn't have been much of an obstacle for a diictodon. They were known for burrowing through tiny holes and crevices. They were also deceptively strong. Lester knew that from the tug of war he'd had with Sid over his tuxedo jacket. No, a simple door would have been no match for the destructive power of a diictodon, though Lester suspected that laying siege to the spare room may not have been Sid and Nancy's idea. His suspicions were confirmed when he heard Abby's and Connor's hushed voices on the other side of the door.

"I thought you said this would work, Connor."

"I said I _thought_ it would work. He hates Sid and Nancy. I was sure he would have chased them out by now."

"Maybe he's asleep and hasn't noticed them yet."

"Abs, it's Sid and Nancy. They'll have woken him by now."

Lester snorted to himself then shoved Sid away a second time as the diictodon attempted to unravel his bandage again. He wondered if it had occurred to either Abby or Connor to simply wait until he was ready to come out. Surely, if it were anything urgent, they would have knocked on the door or pushed it open themselves.

Lester was about to close his eyes again, when he heard the sound of something being pushed through the crack in the door. For one terrible moment, he thought they might be sending Rex in, but, thankfully, the flying lizard didn't appear. Instead, a sheet of paper fluttered in the air for a second before landing on top of Lester. Before Lester could see what was on it, Sid grasped it in his jaws and took off with it. Lester immediately sprang to his feet and went after him.

He chased Sid around the room, while Nancy blinked at them sleepily. When Sid dodged under the bed, Lester lowered himself down on his belly and barked at him. Then he lashed out at Sid with one paw, and Sid scurried out of the spare room, still clutching the sheet of paper. Lester might have managed to catch Sid if Nancy hadn't developed a sudden fascination for his tail. As it was, Lester had to shake her off before he could continue the pursuit.

By the time Lester reached the living room, Connor had Sid tucked under one arm and Abby was prying the piece of paper from Sid's mouth. The paper was ripped and damp when Abby did manage to retrieve it, but she set it down on the floor in front of Lester all the same. Lester stared up at Abby questioningly, but Abby simply jerked her chin at the paper and wouldn't say a word. Lester growled at Nancy, who was advancing towards his tail again, then started to read.

** _I, Abigail Sarah Maitland, do solemnly swear to protect the rights of James Peregrine Lester –_ **

_James_ Peregrine _Lester?_ Lester glared at Connor, knowing full well that Connor would have been the one to supply his middle name.

Connor smiled sheepishly. "We thought it would sound more like a proper legal document if we used your full name."

"You got off easy," Becker muttered. "There are worse things than having 'Peregrine' as your middle name."

_Yes, and you would know, Hilary_.

"Look, just ignore the 'Peregrine' for now," Abby said. "This is just a working draft."

_Funny. It's not "working" for me_, Lester thought. However, his curiosity got the better of him and he found himself looking down at the paper again.

** _I, Abigail Sarah Maitland, do solemnly swear to protect the rights of James Peregrine Lester, ensuring both his care and welfare, until such time as he can exercise these responsibilities himself. Any decisions made on behalf of James Peregrine Lester will only be undertaken through his express permission and authority –_ **

_Express permission and authority? Who wrote this?_

** _– and after establishing that such matters are in the best interests of James Peregrine Lester, as regards to –_ **

Lester ripped the sheet of paper into several pieces, completing the job Sid had started.

"Hey!" Sarah said. "I spent almost half an hour on that!"

"And we all signed it," Connor added. "We were witnesses and everything."

Abby and Becker were gazing down at the shredded paper speechlessly. Lester saw Becker's lips twitch once, as if he were going to laugh, before his face grew impassive again. Abby, on the other hand, looked as if she might cry.

Lester walked over to Abby and held out his paw. Abby stared down at Lester blankly for a moment before she realized what he was doing. Then she crouched down and took Lester's paw, shaking it gently. When Abby released his paw, Lester thought that would be the end of it, but then Abby's big blue eyes were flooding with tears and she was wrapping her arms around him tightly.

"I'm sorry I hurt you," Abby whispered. "I'm sorry I made you feel like you didn't have any rights. I promise you won't end up in a shelter or kennel. And you can see your family whenever you want – just give me the word. Please believe me, Lester. I'm so sorry."

Lester barked once, hoping Abby would understand that, yes, he knew she was sorry and that he'd forgiven her. Of course he'd forgiven her.

Abby pulled away slowly, looking into Lester's eyes as if she still wasn't sure.

_Oh, for God's sake_. Lester leaned in closer and gave Abby a quick lick on the cheek.

"Oh my God," Abby said. "Did you just kiss me?"

Lester beat a hasty retreat from the living room. He knew he was never going to live this down, but it didn't mean he was going to hang around while what was left of his reputation disintegrated before his eyes. Perhaps he could blame it on the dog. Yes, it was the dog's fault.

Lester had just pushed closed the door to the spare room a second time, when he discovered that Nancy had snuck in with him. Lester growled at her, but Nancy ignored the threat, snuggling against him.

_Bloody hell._ Lester slumped down on the floor, trying and failing to crush Nancy in the process. _Oh, what do I care? My reputation is in complete tatters anyway. Cuddling with a diictodon isn't going to make any difference now. Besides, I just broke up with my boyfriend._

Lester waited until Nancy was nestled against his side before he closed his eyes and settled down for another nap.

  


  
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Lester knew that Connor was probably used to sleeping in on a Sunday, but he would have thought that the mug of coffee on the table would have woken him up by now. As it was, Connor was plugged into his iPod and so deeply engrossed in his work, that he didn't notice the cushions shifting when Lester sprang up on the settee. In fact, Connor didn't notice the German shepherd and his penetrating gaze until he reached out for his coffee and his arm brushed against a very hairy chest.

"Aaaaaah!" Connor started violently, almost knocking his laptop on the floor. Then he placed a hand over his heart and glared at Lester. "Are you trying to kill me? You scared me half to death!"

_Only half? Pity. I'll have to try harder next time._

Connor picked up his mug and gulped down some coffee. "It's not that it isn't great to see you, Lester…"

Lester stared pointedly at the keyboard then nudged it with his paw. Connor brought up Notepad and waited patiently while Lester typed.

found anything

Connor grimaced. "Um…not exactly," he said. Then he was raising his hands defensively as his boss literally growled at him. "Look, I'm sorry, but London's a big city. There are lots of places an insane woman can hide. And, yes, I've been tracking all the recent anomalies that have popped up in or near London. I've tracked every anomaly that has appeared in the last six months. Danny and Becker have checked out most of them, but there's been no sign of any lab Anna Taylor might have been using, or any sign of Anna Taylor herself." Connor sighed and rubbed a hand across his face. "Danny was talking about checking out warehouses – abandoned or otherwise – before the, um, last anomaly alert."

_Yes, well, I very much doubt he's pursuing that line of inquiry now. He's probably working on his letter of resignation if he hasn't written it already._

"Hey, we're not giving up, so you can't give up either," Connor said.

Lester's eyes snapped back to Connor's face, and he realized that Connor must have read something in his body language – a sadness the dog couldn't hide.

After all of the emotional turmoil of yesterday, Lester didn't think he could face any more heart-to-heart conversations. He jumped off the settee and left Connor to his work.

Lester wandered into the kitchen to find a snack – namely dry dog food. What he really wanted to do was go for a walk. Despite his long trek from Chesham Bois Wood to High Wycombe, Lester found he had all of this pent-up energy he couldn't release. Even if Abby had been willing to allow him to go for a proper walk, she wasn't around at the moment because she'd gone off to run some errands. He had seen neither hide nor hair of Becker and Sarah. He could only assume that they were off doing whatever it was they did on a Sunday. Lester tried to remember what he used to do on a Sunday before he entered the civil service and became a father.

When Lester returned to the living room, Connor's eyes were glued to his computer screen again, while Sid was rummaging through the entertainment unit, yanking LPs out of the cupboards. Barking, Lester ran towards the diictodon, skidding across the floor and almost tripping over a record in the process.

Lester's jaws were about to close around Sid's tail when his eyes fell on one of the albums. It was Pink Floyd's _Animals_, an album purchased by a much younger James Lester during his progressive rock phase. He wasn't sure why it had caught his eye. The album cover was practically iconic, and he'd seen the image of the tiny pink pig floating above Battersea Power Station countless times. Then it hit him: he wasn't the only one who had recognized what was on the album cover.

Concentrating on the image, Lester tried to track a memory that wasn't his. It took a moment, but, then, suddenly, it was flashing before him.

_He was being led somewhere on a leash. He couldn't recognize any of the scents around him and he was frightened of all the strange noises. But the woman who had saved him from the bad place was with him. He liked her because she didn't hit him and gave him lots of food to eat. Maybe there would be food where they were going._

_They were approaching a large building. He had never seen such a big building before. It hung over everything around it. He didn't like the building, but the woman seemed determined to go in. _

Lester started in surprise. Anna Taylor had taken the dog to Battersea Power Station? Why would she do that? Battersea Power Station had been dormant for years. What could Anna Taylor possibly find of interest there?

Lester looked down at the LP again, studying the distinctive rectangular building with its four chimneys. Then the answer came to him. It wasn't what was inside the building that mattered: it was the building itself. All that unused space that could easily house a lab or any of the hi-tech equipment Anna Taylor might need, such as that horrible machine of hers. She would have needed to bribe the security guards, but that wouldn't have been a problem. If she was anything like Helen Cutter, she had not only paid them off but had sweet-talked them into joining her side as well.

Forgetting all about the diictodon in the cabinet, Lester grabbed the Pink Floyd album and flew towards Connor, almost landing in Connor's lap as he launched himself on to the settee. Connor cried out in alarm and just managed to grab his laptop before it fell.

"Thanks for not sneaking up on me this time," Connor said, sounding somewhat breathless.

Lester dropped the Pink Floyd album in Connor's lap and barked.

Connor gaped at the LP in astonishment. "No way! You listen to Pink Floyd?"

Lester poked the laptop impatiently, and Connor shoved it towards him.

anna taylor

"What about her?" Connor asked.

Lester snarled and prodded at the image of Battersea Power Station on the album cover.

Connor stared at Lester in confusion. "Anna Taylor likes Pink Floyd too?"

Lester gave two sharp barks.

Connor tried again. "Has Anna Taylor joined Pink Floyd? No, wait. That's mad. Pink Floyd hasn't gone on tour in years."

Lester started punching fiercely on the keyboard with his paw.

battersea power station you idiot

"What about it?" Connor asked.

her lair you cretin

its in battersea power station

Connor's eyes widened. "Are you sure? How do you know? Is it the dog? Did he remember?"

Lester barked excitedly. _Yes!_

Connor set aside his laptop and stood up quickly. "I'd better make some phone calls."

  


  
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Sarah was the first to arrive, which came as something of a surprise to Lester. It wasn't that she was a tardy person – no more than any of the other scientists on his staff. He had just assumed that she didn't particularly like him that much and wouldn't be rushing back to the flat. Perhaps she had simply been closest and her early arrival was a coincidence. What wasn't a coincidence was the little cardboard box she set in front of Lester as she sat down on the settee. The box was taped shut, but Lester could smell the delicious aroma of peanut butter wafting through the air. 

"I never thanked you for saving my life," Sarah said, "so here's a tiny token of my appreciation."

_You're welcome. Open the box._

"They're homemade. I picked them up at this specialty pet shop." Sarah patted the box, but made no move to open it.

_What are you waiting for? Christmas?_

"I wasn't sure which flavour you'd like best, so I chose peanut butter," Sarah said. "I mean, who doesn't like peanut butter, right?"

_Yes, yes, peanut butter's great. Open the damn box already!_

"Oh, no!" Sarah gasped. "You're not allergic to peanuts, are you?" She bit her lip anxiously. "I never even considered that…"

Lester began gnawing on the corner of the box, hoping Sarah would get the message. Thankfully, the direct approach seemed to work, as Sarah peeled the tape off the box and opened the lid. 

"I should probably take this to the kitchen," Sarah said. "We'll put one biscuit in your bowl now and save the rest for later."

_One paltry biscuit for your knight in shining armour? Not bloody likely, Dr. Page!_ Lester thrust his head in the box and devoured the entire contents.

Sarah's jaw dropped. "Lester! I-I can't believe you just did that! Those biscuits were supposed to last a couple days, not a couple seconds!" She wagged a finger at Lester and fixed him with what Lester assumed was the look she reserved for the kids at the museum. "I had no idea you were such a…a glutton! We'd better find your real body before you're too fat to walk!"

"Umm…what's going on?" Connor asked. After answering the door, he had headed straight to the kitchen to brew some more coffee.

"He's like a canine hoover!" Sarah cried. "He sucked up all the dog biscuits in this box!"

Connor glanced at the empty box and shrugged. "Yeah? So?" When Sarah glared at him, Connor said, "Oh, wasn't he supposed to? I mean, he did save your life, didn't he?"

Sarah crossed her arms. "I'm beginning to think that was just the dog."

"Well, then," Connor said, "maybe it was the dog that ate all the biscuits."

Sarah looked at Lester and shook her head. "No, that wasn't the dog. It was Lester. I _know_ it was Lester."

Lester gazed up at Sarah forlornly and started to whine.

"No! Don't even _think_ of trying that on me!" Sarah snatched the empty box and stood up. "I'm going to check on the coffee. It must be ready by now."

Connor took the spot Sarah had vacated and grinned at Lester. "You really know how to clear a room, don't you?"

Lester barked once and wagged his tail.

There was soon a knock on the door, and Abby was entering the flat. Becker arrived a few minutes later, accepting a mug of coffee from Sarah with a grateful smile. There was no sign of Danny.

"I called at Danny's flat, but he wasn't there," Becker said.

Connor frowned. "Where is he? I've tried phoning him three times, but I haven't been able to get through."

Becker glanced quickly at Lester. "He must have switched off his mobile."

"I'm sure he must have turned it off for a good reason," Sarah said.

_Yes, he's avoiding me_, Lester thought.

Abby scratched behind Lester's ears. "He'll be back," she whispered.

Lester wanted to believe her, but he didn't share her spirit of optimism. Unable to bear Abby's sympathy, he looked away and found Becker studying his surroundings.

"What happened?" Becker asked. "It looks as if your flat was hit by a small tornado."

Lester eyed the LPs scattered across the floor and growled. _It was worse than a tornado. It was Sid._

Connor smiled sheepishly. "Umm…that was Sid. He's been locked up in the spare room with Nancy." He shot an apologetic look at Lester. "I'm sure nothing was seriously damaged. Besides, if it hadn't been for Sid, the dog wouldn't have remembered where Anna Taylor is." When everyone gazed at Connor curiously, he lifted up Lester's copy of _Animals_.

"Lester listens to Pink Floyd?" Becker said.

Sarah stared at the album in amazement. "Lester's _heard_ of Pink Floyd."

Becker rolled his eyes. "Well, of course he's _heard_ of Pink Floyd. _Everyone's_ heard of Pink Floyd."

Abby grinned down at Lester. "All right, Lester! Rock on!" She held out her hand, and Lester reluctantly gave her five.

Connor cleared his throat. "Umm…not to change the subject…"

Becker nodded sharply. "Right. We need a plan of attack. Battersea Power Station is a big place. I'm going to need all my men – "

Lester barked twice.

Becker raised an eyebrow. "Sir, we don't know what kind of defences Anna Taylor has set up. If we go in hard, we'll be able to take care of any men she might have posted."

Lester gave two more barks, and Connor placed his laptop on the settee. Once Lester had finished typing, Connor leaned over and read out what was on the screen. "'If she sees us coming, she'll run. We have to employ stealth.'"

"I can have men covering the exits," Becker said. "We'll make sure she can't escape."

Lester was about to start typing again when Connor voiced his concerns for him. "The anomaly she came through could be in Battersea Power Station."

"But wouldn't we have picked it up?" Sarah asked.

"Maybe she's shielding her anomaly the same way Christine Johnson did," Connor said. "If it's inside the building, it would be easier to hide it, especially if the building isn't being used."

Becker sipped his coffee and thought about what Connor had said. "Okay, we won't go in with guns blazing, but I'll need to bring at least a few men."

Lester barked once. That was a perfectly reasonable request, especially when they didn't know what Anna Taylor might have in store for them.

Becker set down his coffee and regarded Lester seriously. "Sir, you're not going to like this, but it's got to be said all the same." He took a deep breath. "I think you should stay behind."

Becker was right. Lester didn't like it. He barked twice and threw in some snarling for good measure.

Becker raised a hand placatingly. "Sir, you're injured, an easy target, and it's pretty obvious that Anna Taylor wants you to suffer."

Lester banged furiously on the keyboard then shoved the laptop towards Connor.

"Lester says, 'It's only a scratch, I'm not an easy target because I'm smaller and faster than you, and Anna Taylor's intentions towards me are completely irrelevant.'" Connor stared at Lester in disbelief. "It's more than a scratch and you know it, Lester. Your 'injury' is going to slow you down, so you _will_ make an easier target. And if you think Anna Taylor's intentions towards you are irrelevant then you need to get your head examined." Connor shot a pleading look at Abby. "Explain to him why he can't come."

Abby shook her head. "I agree with Lester. I think he should come."

"What?" Connor cried.

_Really?_

"We don't know what state his body – his _own_ body – is in," Abby said. "I'm going to assume it's been put on life-support, but there could still be problems. There's the risk of oxygen toxicity or pneumonia, not to mention bed sores." Abby looked down at her hands for an instant. "When we find his body, we might need to transfer his consciousness quickly."

"But what if Lester's body has been stashed away in a hospital?" Connor asked.

"Or worse – not on life-support at all," Becker added. "Who's to say that Anna Taylor didn't dispose of the body? Why keep it alive?"

"Because she's a scientist at heart," Sarah said. "Think about it. She could have got her revenge in more ways than any of us could possibly imagine, but she chose to make Lester part of an experiment." Sarah sighed as she was met by blank stares. "Don't you get it? Anna Taylor has a thirst for knowledge as well as vengeance. She'll keep the body alive, and close to her, because she'll want to know if the transfer works both ways and if she can return Lester's consciousness to his own brain. I mean, surely she wouldn't have gone to all this trouble if she hadn't intended to study him."

Becker's eyes widened and he turned sharply to Abby. "Did Danny – ?"

"Yes, he checked for cameras and bugs – here and at the ARC," Abby said.

Becker didn't even try to hide his relief. "Okay, good. That's good." He glanced at Sarah. "And you think Anna Taylor will be keeping Lester's body with her? Well, that might make our job a little easier – for once."

"So, what's the plan?" Connor asked.

"Considering the urgency of the situation, I think we need to go in as soon as possible," Becker said.

Lester hopped off the settee and ran to the front door.

Becker gazed at Lester in amusement. "Or now. Now would work."

  


  
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Lester quickly realized that Becker's definition of "now" differed drastically from his own. It turned out that "now" was actually two hours later.

Before they could head to Battersea Power Station, they had to go to the ARC. Becker insisted that they have a meeting to plan the mission and then he needed to brief the men he had selected. There was also the time it took for the soldiers to kit up in the armoury. As far as Lester was concerned, it all took far too long.

By the time they finally left the ARC, Lester was barely able to contain his impatience, nervousness and excitement. However, when they reached Battersea Power Station, Lester found that he was forced to wait even longer as Becker and his men performed a quick check of the perimeter. Becker returned about 15 minutes later and squeezed into the back seat of the car where Lester was sitting with Abby.

"We took care of three security guards patrolling the perimeter," Becker said. "They've been trussed up and thrown in the back of one of the SUVs. As they haven't demanded to know who we are or what we want, I assume they work for the enemy." He smiled for a moment before his expression grew serious. "Sir, with your permission, I'd like to go in and secure the premises. Then, once we've captured Anna Taylor – "

Lester gave two loud barks. _Oh, no. You're not leaving me behind. Not if there's any chance that bitch could escape._

Becker glanced down at the plastic bag Abby had wrapped around Lester's bandaged paw and sighed. "Well, I had to try. You'll at least remember what we discussed and allow me and my men to go in first, won't you, sir?"

Lester barked once. _Carry on, Captain._

"Right. It looks like we're going in." Becker climbed out of the car and held the door open for Lester. However, Abby stopped Lester before he could exit the vehicle.

"Stay close to me and Connor, okay?" Abby said.

Although Lester was tired of being coddled, he knew that Abby was only looking after his best interests. He barked quickly and leapt out of the car.

They decided to hit A Station first. As Lester had never been inside Battersea Power Station before, he was surprised by the parquet floors and the wrought iron staircases. There was no immediate sign of any habitation in the building, and footfalls echoed as they made their way through the long empty boiler room.

Lester was beginning to fear that he'd been wrong and had somehow conjured up the dog's memory from his imagination, when they heard the sound of a woman's voice coming from the control room. Becker instantly raised a hand and everyone froze – everyone, that is, except Lester. Before anyone could stop him, Lester took off for the control room.

The first thing to catch Lester's eyes was the armed guards that had been positioned throughout the control room. Lester could only count six of them, but they were big burly men who probably had no qualms about killing a dog. This might have concerned Lester if he hadn't just caught sight of Anna Taylor. She was bending over an all-too familiar man on an all-too familiar camp-bed.

His body had been placed on a ventilator, and Lester didn't know if he should be relieved or horrified by all the tubes and wires. A low growl emanated from his throat.

"Ah, I wondered when you might drop in, James." Anna was no longer examining the body, but had turned to face her intruder. She smiled brightly, which only made Lester hate her more. Her smile widened when the rest of Lester's team burst into the room. "Oh, good. I was hoping your friends might join us."

Lester heard the sound of several safety catches being released and didn't have to turn around to know that the guards and soldiers were staring each other down.

"Ah," Anna said, "it looks like your friends have their hands full. Never mind. I was rather hoping we could have a little chat first – just the two of us." She moved to the head of the camp-bed, and Lester couldn't help flinching when she ran a finger across the stubbled cheek of his human body. "You'd be amazed how long someone can be kept alive with the right medical equipment. I'm sure this body could be sustained for months – possibly even years – if it's looked after properly."

Lester barked twice, even though he knew it was pointless.

Anna laughed. "I don't know what you just said, James, but I hardly have to be Doctor Dolittle to see how cross you are. Luckily, I've come up with just the thing to make you feel better." She crouched down, so that she was closer to Lester's level, and lowered her voice. "I think I can get my hands on three German shepherd puppies."

Lester tilted his head in confusion. _What?_

"I'm not without compassion, James," Anna said. "I know you must be missing your children terribly, but if I could transfer their minds into those three puppies you could be one big happy family." She laughed again and the sound echoed around the control room. Then she was screaming as Lester's teeth sank into her arm.

Lester could hear Abby and Connor shouting at him to let go, but Lester had no intention of releasing Anna Taylor. They would have to pry him off her first. Nothing else would make him surrender – or, at least, that's what he thought before the shot rang out and pain tore through him like fire.

  


  
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"I didn't want to do that, but you left me no choice."

Lester managed to lift his head enough to see Anna Taylor standing over him with a gun – the same gun that had fired the bullet that was currently lodged in his shoulder. At least, Lester thought it was his shoulder. The pain was so intense that it seemed to be everywhere. The slightest movement was excruciating, and it took all his concentration to ignore the spots dancing before his eyes.

Anna studied Lester, appraising him coolly. "You're just determined to hurt me, aren't you, James? It's not enough that you tried to have me killed in my universe. Oh, no. You decided to attack me in yours as well." Anna sighed as if this additional betrayal was all too much to bear. "I had considered transferring your consciousness back to your own body, but you've blown your chances now."

"Oh, I don't know about that," a voice said.

Lester's eyes blinked open in surprise and his tail wagged weakly.

Danny, dressed as a security guard, had stepped out from behind one of the machines. He moved directly behind Anna and had her in a chokehold before she could turn to face him. Then he was pressing his own gun against Anna's head.

"Drop it, bitch," Danny hissed.

Anna hesitated for a few seconds before opening her hand and allowing her gun to fall and clatter on the floor.

"Now," Danny said, "I believe you were about to tell James how much you'd love to help him."

"I don't bloody think so," Anna growled.

Danny tightened his grip around Anna's neck and tapped the muzzle of his gun against the side of her head. Then, he looked across the control room, as if just remembering the guards, and grinned. "I suggest you lower your weapons, boys, or I'll make sure the boss lady gets it."

Lester couldn't see what was happening, but he could hear weapons clacking against wood as the guards placed their guns on the ground. Then, Becker was barking out orders to his men, and Lester could feel the vibration of combat boots on the floor as the soldiers rounded up their prisoners. He was beginning to black out when Abby and Connor raced to his side.

"What part of 'stay close' did you not understand?" Abby was holding dressing against Lester's wound, trying to staunch the blood. She stroked Lester's head with her other hand and there were tears in her eyes.

Lester had the irrational urge to apologize, though he didn't know how he'd manage that as he wasn't even sure if he had the strength to bark. Whimpering didn't seem to be a problem. He didn't even have to think about that.

"We need to get him up on a table or something," Connor said. "I assume he has to be beside his body if the transfer is going to work."

Danny nudged Anna with the gun again. "How did you do this the first time? Come on, you're going to lose him if you don't speak up. From what Lester has told us, you think death's too good for him."

Anna scowled. "It is." She paused for a moment, as if weighing her options, then said, "Fine. I'll do what I can. There's a cart over there in the corner. You can place him on that."

"I'll get it." Sarah sprinted across the room and grabbed the cart, wheeling it over to Abby and Connor.

"Right," Connor said. "Abby, you need to keep pressure on the wound, so I'll do the lifting." He smiled down at Lester, trying to look reassuring, but there was fear in his eyes. "I'll be as quick as I can, but I'm sorry – this is going to hurt."

Lester managed a faint bark. _Go on. I'll be all right._

Connor carefully gathered Lester in his arms and lifted him off the ground. It felt as if a knife was ripping through his shoulder and Lester yelped in agony.

"Sorry, sorry!" Connor said. He set Lester down on the cart as gently as he could.

Abby still had the dressing pressed against Lester's wound, but she reached out to scratch behind one of Lester's ears. "You're going to be okay. Just hold on a little longer, Lester."

Lester wanted to hold on, but there was just so much pain – sharp searing pain that kept cresting like a wave. If he could just close his eyes and escape for a while, he'd try to be stronger when he came back.

"Lester!" Abby cried. "Stay with me, Lester!" Abby seized Lester by chin and shook his head. "Come on, you've got to fight this. You've got three kids. You don't want to leave them without a father, do you?"

Lester managed to force his eyes open, but it was proving almost impossible to keep them that way. He was just so tired.

"Danny, I don't think we can wait any longer," Connor said. "We've got to do this _now_."

Lester thought he heard Danny say something and then there was movement beside the cart. He pried his eyes open in time to see Anna bending over him with an electrode in her hand. He lost consciousness after that.

  


  
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There was something in his throat. It was uncomfortable, and it hurt, and he wanted it out. He tried to reach up to pull out the obstruction, but he couldn't move. Then there was a hand on his forehead and he could feel someone's breath on his cheek.

"Easy, James," Danny whispered. "It's okay. It's the breathing tube. I'll take it out."

His throat felt even worse as Danny pulled the tube out, and Lester began coughing weakly. He tried to open his eyes, but they were as heavy as lead.

"There. That's better," Danny said. "You're breathing on your own now." He patted Lester's chest gently. "You've been in a sort of coma because of all this, so it's going to be a while before you're really with us. According to Connor, the movies always get it wrong. People don't instantly wake up when they've been in a coma." Danny lifted one of Lester's hands, and Lester felt a thumb brush against his knuckles. "I know it's really hard, but do you think you could squeeze my hand? We need a sign that you're back – _completely_ back."

It _was_ hard. It was a task that required complete focus, and it took every bit of energy he possessed, but he managed in the end. He squeezed Danny's hand.

"It worked!" Danny shouted. "He's back in his body! You two can go!"

_Go? Go where? Who's going?_ Lester made another attempt to open his eyes and failed. Then he heard Abby's voice.

"We'll phone you as soon as we know anything."

_Know anything about what?_ Then, Lester thought he heard the cart rolling and feet pounding on the floor. _Oh God. The dog. The dog still has a bullet in him. He's bleeding and in pain because of me. If that poor creature dies, I'll never forgive myself._

Lester tried to move, to speak, to do anything, but his body just wasn't responding. Then he felt the thumb caressing the back of his hand again. "Shh…it's all right. Anna's going to take out the rest of the tubes and wires, and then we'll get you to hospital."

_But the dog…Will the dog be okay?_ Lester pondered the question for a moment before fading out.

Lester returned briefly to consciousness when he was lifted off the camp-bed. Unsupported, his head rolled on to a broad shoulder. It felt nice. Lester could feel heat radiating through the fabric under his cheek. He hadn't realized how cold he was until he was cradled against a warm body. Then Danny's voice was with him, soft and close to his ear.

"I've got you, James, and I'm not letting you go."

  


  
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Lester couldn't keep track of how much time was passing. During his waking moments, the world was a confusing jumble of sounds and voices. Occasionally, he managed to work his eyelids open a crack and there were flashes of light and colour. Once, he thought he saw a face peering down at him before he was tugged back into the darkness again. Then, to his great relief, he heard a voice that he recognized. He used it to anchor himself to reality and tried to hold on for as long as he could.

"…That's why you need to speak to him, James. It may have been cute at the beginning, but it lost its appeal when he started digging up the flower beds to hide his buried treasure. He spent so much time in his room over the weekend that Peter started referring to it as 'the brig'."

_Poor Jeremy. Life isn't easy when you're five._

"Actually, it's Emma I'm worried about. She's been very quiet and even more moody and withdrawn than usual. I'm sure I saw her crying on Saturday, and you should have seen her face when she heard you were in hospital. I thought she was going to faint!"

_What? Emma?_ Lester struggled to open his eyes.

"Darling, can you hear me? You look like you're trying to wake up again."

Lester felt someone grip his hand and finally won the battle to open his eyes. "Jo," he said, his voice emerging as part whisper, part croak.

Joanna smiled and Lester thought it might be the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen.

"Hello, sweetheart. It's lovely to see those green eyes again." Joanna leaned forward and kissed Lester's cheek. "I'm so glad that nasty knock to the head didn't put you out of commission permanently."

_Knock to the head? Oh, that must be the official cover story._ Lester swallowed around the dryness in his throat and tried to speak again. "Emma…What's wrong – ?"

Joanna pressed a plastic cup to Lester's lips, and Lester gratefully sipped some water.

"So, you heard all that," Joanna said. "Why aren't I surprised?" She pulled the cup away and set it down on the bedside table. "I don't know what's going on in that Lester brain of hers, but I'm sure she'll feel a lot better when she hears that you're okay. She insisted on coming, you know. Last time I saw her, she was in the waiting room, sleeping on Danny's shoulder."

Lester blinked in surprise. "Danny?"

"Well, of course, darling. He's your boyfriend. Where else would he be?" Joanna shook her head in amusement. "He was sitting with you earlier. We've all been taking turns." She patted Lester's shoulder and rose from her chair. "I think it's time I fetched the doctor, don't you? I should have done that as soon as you woke up."

Lester tried to tell Joanna to stay, but his eyes fell shut and he lapsed back into slumber.

  


  
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When Lester opened his eyes a second time, it was to find a pale solemn girl sitting at his bedside.

"You didn't have to sit there waiting," Lester said. "You should have woken me up."

Emma managed a faint smile. "The doctor said we should let you sleep."

Lester rolled his eyes. "I've had more than enough sleep the last few days."

"Then you're okay?" Emma asked. "You're _really_ okay?" Her voice sounded small and quiet – more like that of a frightened little girl than an adolescent.

Lester extended his arm and was pleased to discover that he could grasp Emma's hand. "Come here," he said.

Emma rested her head on Lester's chest, and Lester wrapped his arms around her.

"Could you sing your version of 'The Incy Wincy Spider'?" Emma asked. "If you're feeling up to it."

Lester raised an eyebrow. Emma hadn't asked to hear that song in years as she'd conquered her arachnophobia. Mostly. "You know your mother has banned that song, don't you?"

Emma snorted against Lester's chest. "As if that's ever stopped you. Besides, she's not here, is she?"

"Very well," Lester said. Then he began to sing in a hoarse strained voice:

_The Incy Wincy Spider climbed up the water spout._  
_Daddy grabbed a machine gun and took the spider out._  
_The sun had already appeared as it never really rained,_  
_And the Incy Wincy Spider was never seen again._

Emma released a deep shuddering breath, and Lester stroked her hair.

"Is that better?" Lester asked.

Emma nodded against Lester's chest, but made no attempt to move. Lester smiled and continued stroking Emma's hair until he fell asleep again.

  


  
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"I know you're awake," Danny said. "Your breathing's different when you're asleep."

"My God, Danny. How much time have you spent here?" Lester opened his eyes and reached for his water, but Danny picked up the cup for him and held it to his lips. Lester glared at Danny, but took a few sips. "You should go home. You look exhausted."

Danny waved Lester's concern away. "It's fine," he said. "Besides, it's given me a chance to spend some time with Joanna and Emma. Oh, and Peter. Joanna brought him in yesterday, but you were asleep. Jeremy's with his gran. Joanna thinks he's too young to, um, see you like this."

Lester grimaced. "None of the kids should see me like this."

Danny laid his hand on Lester's. "They can handle it."

Lester glanced down at their hands. "Danny, why are you here? After the way I treated you – "

"You were tired and upset when you typed those things," Danny said. "We both were."

Lester shook his head. "You'll be saying I wasn't myself next, but I knew exactly what I was doing. I broke up with you, Danny. Deliberately." He tried to extricate his hand, but Danny caught it and held it in his own.

"Oh, no, you're not getting out of this relationship _that_ easily, James." Danny lifted Lester's hand to his lips and kissed it. "Emma says the break up doesn't count anymore because you're no longer a dog, and that you only broke up with me in the first place because you didn't want me to be stuck with a dog."

Lester's eyes widened. "Emma knows that we're – ?"

"I didn't say a thing," Danny said. "She worked it all out on her own. She said she thought you might be seeing someone and that it must be me because I was the only other person camped out in the waiting room."

Lester frowned. "That girl is too clever for her own good."

Danny grinned. "She's too much like her _father_ for her own good: that's her trouble."

Lester ducked his head sheepishly. "Yes, well…"

"So the break up doesn't count because you're back in your own body again," Danny said. Then he leaned forward to kiss Lester on the lips. Lester met Danny halfway and allowed himself to become lost in the kiss, though there was still something nagging at the back of his head – a question he'd meant to ask Emma. When he remembered, he pulled away from the kiss, gripping Danny's collar anxiously.

"What happened to the dog?" Lester asked. "Is he okay? He isn't…He didn't…?"

Danny smiled. "The vet got the bullet out and the dog made it through surgery with flying colours."

Lester released a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding. "Good. I'm glad to hear it." It was bad enough the dog had been shot in the first place, but death would have been unconscionable. "You were there – in the control room. How did you know where to find Anna Taylor?"

Danny shrugged. "It seemed as good a place as any," he said. "Big abandoned building in London with lots of space for Anna Taylor to stash a kidnapped civil servant and the rest of her bounty. It just stood to reason." When Lester raised a skeptical eyebrow, Danny laughed. "Okay, I spoke to an informer I used to know when I was still a copper. With his network of contacts, he knows just about everything that happens in this city. When I asked him whether he'd heard about any abandoned buildings that had recently become occupied, he told me that there had been some suspicious activity at Battersea Power Station. Naturally, I thought I'd better check it out."

"Naturally," Lester muttered.

Danny sat back in his chair, looking far too smug. "How did you work it out, boss?"

"Oh, um…It's not important." Lester grabbed the cup of water at his bedside and took another drink. When he set the cup down, he saw that Danny's lips were twitching and he realized that Danny had already known the answer. Lester crossed his arms. "Have you had any problems with Anna Taylor? I can't imagine her being a model prisoner."

The smugness instantly vanished from Danny's face to be replaced by a look of pure shame.

"No," Lester said.

Danny closed his eyes. "I'm sorry. There was just so much going on. Becker and his men were busy with the security guards, Abby and Connor were taking care of the dog, and I was focused on you. As soon as she had transferred your consciousness and disconnected all those tubes and wires, she was gone. She just slipped away, and I never even noticed."

Lester squeezed Danny's arm. "Helen Cutter was always slipping through our fingers. She would have made an excellent escape artist. Might have even put Houdini to shame. And Anna Taylor is just like her." Lester caressed the arm beneath his fingers. "You're not to blame. If it's anyone's fault, it's mine. I should have let Becker take more men. And I certainly should never have allowed her to provoke me."

"I heard her, James," Danny said. "You had every reason to attack her. I just wish I'd beaten you to it."

  


  
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Lester had assumed he would escape the constant vigilance when he was released from hospital. When Danny insisted on pushing him down to the car park in a wheelchair, he found himself reassessing the situation. It became even worse when they arrived at his flat. Lester had barely walked in the door when he found himself being herded towards his bedroom.

"I've been asleep for over a week," Lester grumbled. "I thought I'd try something novel and remain vertical for a change."

Danny's grip on Lester's elbow tightened. "You were only discharged from hospital because you agreed to rest. Come on."

Knowing it was pointless to struggle, Lester let Danny lead him to his bedroom. However, he halted in his tracks when he reached the threshold, gaping incredulously at the room's occupants. Abby and Connor were sitting on the end of the bed and a German shepherd was lying between them.

"Oh," Lester said. Without realizing what he was doing, he started walking towards the bed, only breaking out of his trance when he found his hand hovering a few inches from the dog's head. He froze and was about to withdraw his hand, when Connor jumped off the bed and pulled on Lester's arm, giving Lester no choice but to accept the spot that had been vacated. Then Abby was taking Lester's hand and setting it back on its original course.

Lester scratched behind the dog's ears without thinking, and the dog butted against his hand encouragingly. The dog seemed to be in pretty good spirits considering that he was swathed in bandages.

Abby smiled at Lester, her blue eyes twinkling. "I hope you don't mind, but we thought you might like to see him."

"Plus, you and Lester will be able to keep each other company while you both recover," Connor said.

Lester glared at Connor. "It may have escaped your notice, but I'm back in my own body now. You don't have to call the dog 'Lester'."

Connor bit his lip, as if he were trying not to laugh. "Actually, I do. He won't respond to anything else."

"What do you mean he won't respond to anything else?" Lester snapped. "Just give him another name and stick with it."

Abby exchanged a look with Connor and giggled. "We've tried. Honestly, we have. He just ignores us if we use another name." She patted Lester's arm. "Don't worry. I'm sure he wouldn't mind if your little boy called him 'K-9'."

Lester's eyes narrowed. "Why? Are you planning on bringing him round for tea?"

Abby exchanged another glance with Connor. "Actually, we were thinking of something a little more permanent."

Lester frowned. "Permanent?"

"He needs a home, Lester," Abby said.

Lester's eyes widened. "Oh, no. No, no, no, no, no. And, for the record, no."

"Why not?" Abby asked.

"Why not?" Lester exclaimed. "Well, for starters, I don't know the first thing about dogs."

"I'm assuming you didn't know anything about kids when you got married, but you still decided to have them," Danny said.

Lester directed a scathing look at Danny before returning his attention to Abby. "Look, you and Connor are the ones who are good with animals. Why don't you take him?"

"Because we already have three little flatmates and we just don't have the space," Abby said. "Besides, he should be around children who will play with him and give him lots of love and attention." She stroked the dog's head, ruffling his fur gently. "And just think how happy it will make your little boys, especially Jeremy."

Lester crossed his arms. "That's all well and good for my _boys_, but what about Emma?" he asked. "All of this has really upset her. Do you honestly think she wants a daily reminder of what happened to her dad?"

Danny cleared his throat. "Actually, Emma has been asking about the dog. She wanted to know if we'd found a good home for him."

That revelation caught Lester by surprise and it took him a moment to process the information. "Well, just because Emma inquired after the dog doesn't mean that she wants him as a pet."

Danny nodded. "You're right. It doesn't mean she wants him as a pet."

"Thank you," Lester said.

"Of course," Danny added, "she did ask how one might go about owning a dog that, for all intents and purposes, had previously been a stray – if it was something that had to be reported to the authorities. Very civic-minded of her, I have to say."

Lester scowled. "She may have simply been curious, that's all."

"Oh, so when she asked whether it was too late to train 'Lester' as a guard dog that was mere curiosity as well, was it?" Danny asked. He grinned at Abby and Connor. "Apparently, her dad worries about them being on their own during the week, despite the state-of-the-art burglar alarm he had installed."

"Ah, that's so sweet," Abby said.

Lester might have lashed out at both Danny and Abby, but, fortunately for them, he was too busy staring at the dog. "But she said she didn't want a mutt," he muttered to himself.

Abby shot Lester a dirty look and tried to cover the dog's ears. "That's not a very nice thing to say."

Lester rolled his eyes. "Emma said it, not me, though he's not exactly a pedigree dog, is he?"

Abby's expression grew even colder. "Oh, so that's it? You don't want him because he isn't a pedigree dog."

"Now, that isn't what I said at all. You're putting words into my mouth, Abby." Lester glanced at Connor, seeking assistance, but Connor just shook his head sadly.

"I had no idea you were such a snob, Lester," Connor said.

"You mean the Mercedes never gave you any indication?" Lester asked.

Danny tutted quietly from the door. "He took a bullet for you and this is how you repay him. I'll be sure to remember that next time someone takes a shot at you."

"I was rather hoping there wouldn't be a next time!" Lester sighed and ran a hand across his face. "Look, I couldn't care less what breed of dog he is, or whether he was born with a silver bone in his mouth. As far as I'm concerned, _all_ dogs are equally repellent."

Abby's face lit up. "So, you'll take Lester, then, yeah?"

"Get out," Lester said. "All of you. Leave now. I'm supposed to be resting." He raised a hand when Connor took a step forward to lift the dog off the bed. "Not him. He can stay because he's recuperating."

Connor smiled. "Okay." He patted the dog's head then followed Abby out of the bedroom. 

Lester bent over wearily to take off his shoes, but Danny laid a hand on his shoulder.

"I've got it, guv." Danny knelt down on the floor and tugged off Lester's shoes. Then he was removing the rest of Lester's clothing and putting him in his pyjamas. He even pulled back the sheets on the bed and tucked Lester in. Lester was almost relieved when there was a knock on the door. Somehow, he wasn't surprised when it turned out to be Abby.

"I just wanted to check on the dog." Abby was standing hesitantly at the threshold, as if she wasn't sure whether to enter the room or not.

Lester snorted. "Well, the dog hasn't moved since you left a few minutes ago, but, by all means, come in and check."

"Well, that's just it," Abby said. "He's at the end of the bed."

Lester raised an eyebrow. "And where else should he be?"

Abby walked over to the bed and patted a spot on the mattress right beside Lester. "Come on, boy. Up you get."

Lester opened his mouth to protest then watched in amazement as the dog rose slowly to his feet and limped across the mattress. He settled exactly where Abby had suggested, resting his head on Lester's thigh.

"There. That's better." Abby stroked the dog's head. Then, without thinking, she reached towards Lester. Only a horrified look from Lester, and a smothered laugh from Danny, made Abby realize what she was doing.

"You were going to pet me, weren't you?" Lester asked.

Abby blushed. "Umm…yes. Sorry. Force of habit."

"I see," Lester said. "Very well. Do it quickly and get it over with."

Abby's jaw dropped. "_What_?"

Lester tried not to squirm. "You obviously need closure and, if you don't find it now, you'll be taking sick days in order to see your therapist. No, it must end now."

"Umm…okay." Abby stretched out her hand and, with lightning quickness, patted the top of Lester's head.

"Now," Lester said, "we must never speak of this again."

"Speak of what again?" Abby asked.

"Good." Lester glanced at Danny, who was leaning against the wall in a silent paroxysm of laughter. "Go. And take Chuckles the Clown with you."

Abby grinned. "Come on, Danny. I think your boyfriend needs his nap." She grabbed Danny's arm and dragged him out of the room.

Lester waited for the door to close before addressing the German shepherd. "Lassie?" he said. 

The dog didn't move a muscle.

Lester tried again. "K-9?"

The dog's ears twitched, but he gave no other sign of acknowledgment.

Lester took a deep breath and said the name. "Lester."

The dog lifted his head off Lester's leg and looked straight at him.

"Well, I suppose you can't help having good taste." Lester scratched behind the dog's ears and couldn't help being satisfied when the dog wagged his tail. "So, tell me, Lester, what do you think of Pink Floyd?"

  


  
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"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Lester asked. "He's still got all those bandages and he's limping."

They had just arrived at Lester's house. Danny, behind the wheel of the Mercedes, turned to Lester as he pulled the key from the ignition. "He's sick of being cooped up in your flat, James. Besides, the vet said that a bit of exercise would do him good. He needs to start using those shoulder muscles again."

Lester shifted his eyes to the backseat of the car, and the dog gave an enthusiastic bark, as if he agreed with Danny.

Danny rubbed Lester's back soothingly. "I know you'll miss having him around, but you'll get to see him at weekends."

Lester glared at Danny. "It's not that. I was just concerned about Lester's welfare. The boys can be rather exuberant at times."

Danny smiled. "You can explain to them that Lester is still recovering and they need to be careful." He gave Lester a quick peck on the cheek then unbuckled his seat-belt and climbed out of the car.

Danny had just lifted the dog from the back seat when Peter and Jeremy ran out of the house and down the driveway. The dog barked excitedly and moved towards the boys as quickly as he could with a wounded shoulder.

"He's back!" Jeremy cried. "He's back!" He threw his arms around the dog's neck.

"Careful, Jeremy," Peter said. "He's hurt." He knelt down and touched the dog's bandages. "How did you get hurt? What happened to you? Oh, you poor boy, Lester. Poor, poor Lester."

Jeremy stroked the dog's head with exaggerated care. "Poor Lester. Poor, poor Lester. We'll make him better, won't we, Peter?"

"Yes, of course we will," Peter said.

The dog accepted all the fuss with good grace, licking Jeremy's face and butting his head against Peter's chest.

Lester exchanged an amused look with Danny. "No, please," he said. "Don't worry about me. I was only in a coma."

Jeremy broke into a grin and flew towards Lester. "Hi, Daddy!"

Lester just had time to brace himself before Jeremy leapt at him. "Oh, I exist, do I?" he asked, but he was smiling as he picked up the little boy.

Peter approached them at a more reserved pace, the German shepherd hobbling in his wake. "Hi, Dad. Hello, Danny." He gave Lester a quick hug, and Lester held Jeremy with one arm as he tousled Peter's hair. "Are you feeling better, Dad?"

"Yes, much better, Peter," Lester said. "Thank you for asking."

Peter nodded and reached out to shake Danny's hand. "It's nice to see you again. I hope you'll stay for supper. Mum is cooking paella."

Danny's lips twitched, but he managed to keep a straight face. "It's nice to see you too, Peter, and supper would be lovely, if your mum doesn't mind."

"Oh, she won't mind," Peter said.

Jeremy had tilted his head and was staring at Danny. "Are you Daddy's special friend?"

Danny shot a startled look at Lester, though he directed his question to Lester's son. "Who told you that, Jeremy?" he asked.

"Mummy," Jeremy said. "She said Daddy had a special friend named Danny and that I was going to meet him."

"Well, then, I must be your daddy's special friend." Danny held out his hand to Jeremy. "I'm Danny. It's a pleasure to meet you."

Jeremy blushed shyly and tried to hide his face in Lester's shoulder, but Lester shook his head, so Jeremy quickly extended his hand, snatching it back again as soon as the handshake had ended. However, it didn't take long for him to recover from his reticence and poke Lester's chest with a chubby little finger. "Daddy, is Lester going to stay with us?"

"I don't know, Jeremy," Lester said. "I need to discuss it with your mother."

"But if Mummy says yes can we keep him?" Jeremy asked. "Can we, Daddy?"

Lester hesitated, as if giving the matter serious thought. "Well, if it's all right with your mother then, yes, I suppose you can keep Lester."

"Yay!" Jeremy shouted.

Lester gazed at Jeremy sternly. "_If_ it's all right with your mother."

"Oh, she'll say yes," Peter said, sounding supremely confident.

Lester's eyes narrowed suspiciously. "And just how do you know that?"

Peter smirked. "Because she bought dog food yesterday."

###  ** Epilogue **

Lester stared at the huge pile of paperwork sitting on his desk. He had, in fact, been staring at it since he had first walked into his office. He had known that work would accumulate during his absence, but he had never imagined it would be this bad. If the pile of paperwork collapsed on top of him, it would be days before anyone found him.

Lester put his head in his hands. He couldn't face this. Not on his first day back. It was just too much. He couldn't cope.

He wasn't sure how much time passed before Lorraine arrived and began sorting through everything.

"Grab a coffee or go for a stroll around the ARC," Lorraine said. "I'll find what's most urgent and put everything else aside. It will all seem much better when you come back, I promise."

Lester wanted to tell Lorraine that he didn't require her assistance, but he was drowning, desperate, and pathetically grateful. "Thanks, Lorraine."

Lorraine smiled. "It's no trouble, sir."

"Yes, well, thank you all the same," Lester said. He managed to maintain a calm façade as he rose from his chair and debated whether to send Lorraine a bouquet of flowers or buy her a gift basket.

Although Lester finally had the freedom to go wherever he wanted, he still found himself heading for Abby's lab. He stood at the door watching her, until Abby sensed his presence and looked up from her work in surprise.

"I was wondering if you might care to take a walk," Lester said.

Abby's brow creased. "Are you asking because you still think I need closure?"

Lester crossed his arms and arched an eyebrow. "No, I'm asking because it's a beautiful day, and Lorraine has kicked me out of my office."

Abby scrutinized Lester for a moment, as if trying to decide whether he was being serious. "You're not going to chase squirrels, are you?"

Lester raised his chin. "I can't make any promises."

Abby grinned and slid off her stool. "Okay, then, yeah," she said. "Walkies!"

  


  


  



End file.
